Tour des Pyrenees organizer doubles down on rider criticism: "I don't think it's worth organizing a race to see all those months of effort ruined for the whims of spoilt children"
Cycling
Over the weekend the women's Tour des Pyrenees hit the headlines despite taking place simultaneously to several of the big races in the calendar. However that was not for good reasons, the race was cancelled due to the lack of safety conditions, but the race organizer has once again criticized the riders for the situation.
The three-day race saw mayhem from it's very start to finish. In southern France a quality field was put together including a few WWT teams, but on that day the problems became apparent. The finale was packed with vehicles and pedestrians who seemed to be warned only seconds before the riders passed by - or not at all, leading to a shocking situation where the race was constantly being threatened in it's literal finale. Stage 2 was neutralized all the way into it's summit finish in Hautacam, but a crash still took place indirectly because of road traffic.
On the morning of stage 3 two teams decided to abandon before the start as there seemed to be no improvement in the safety measures, but ultimately the stage was outright cancelled with the race ending there. Criticism was aplenty of the lack of conditions provided, however race organizer Pascal Baudron instead directed his words towards the riders themselves, arguing that "they imagine they're at the Tour de France and all roads must be closed".
However that was not the end of it, as in words shared by RadioCycling he has doubled down on that criticism: "They're sawing off the branch they're sitting on. The day there are no more races, they'll be able to cry and that's what's going to happen. Quite honestly, I don't think it's worth organizing a race to see all those months of effort ruined for the whims of spoilt children."
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- Pidcock finished 9th place, 29 minutes down. he is a helluva rider, so gutsy. and he is amazing at all disciplines. but this headline is . . .mij09-11-2026
- I know, watch the video. and listen to her competitors. it was a tricky tacky call at best. WTF is this guy talking about??? my original comment was from the picture it didn't look like anything.mij09-11-2026
- I dunno what you're talking about. you make no sense. MS's competitor and the competitors coach said it was BS. she didn't deviate in a way that relegation should be required. revel LOL. you're so cool, in your own mind.mij09-11-2026
- deviation lol, watch the videomij09-11-2026
- the 'No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines' comment was unfortunately a bit off. didn't you just boast about your principles in the comments section of another article?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026
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😲 These comments from Pascal Baudron, the organiser of the Tour Féminin des Pyrénées that escalated into chaos, are quite something. Do you think Baudron and co. should be allowed to run a bike race again? 👇 Apple: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/rad… Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/76nT0G…
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