“You are destroying the sport you make millions from” – Thijs Zonneveld unleashes extraordinary attack on Tour de France organisers after sprint carnage
CyclingFriday, 17 July 2026 at 10:15
Thijs Zonneveld has accused Tour de France organiser ASO of cutting corners on rider safety and helping to create the conditions for the violent stage 12 crash in Chalon-sur-Saone.
Fernando Gaviria and Jenno Berckmoes both suffered broken collarbones in the incident and have been forced to leave the race. Zonneveld said the wider consequences also included a concussion, broken ribs and numerous cases of road rash.
Vlad Van Mechelen was relegated and fined over his role in the crash, but the Dutch journalist and former professional rider argued that the punishment allowed the organisers to escape scrutiny for the finish they had designed.
“Vlad Van Mechelen was blamed: he was relegated and fined,” Zonneveld wrote in his In de Waaier Substack. “But he was not the main culprit. The main culprit is you.”
‘Prehistoric barriers’ and a dangerous racing line
Zonneveld’s criticism centred on the right-hand bend around 400 metres from the finish and a visible kink in the barriers through the Chalon-sur-Saone finale.
Riders exiting the corner from the inside were carried towards the outside of the road, while those approaching from wider positions followed the quickest line back towards the inside. Van Mechelen took that path before making contact with Gaviria.
“When you simultaneously have riders following the fastest line from the outside towards the inside, as Van Mechelen did, riders are inevitably going to be sandwiched,” Zonneveld wrote. “That is exactly what happened to Gaviria, with all the consequences that followed.”
Fernando Gaviria nurses a fractured collarbone at the 2026 Tour de France
The positioning of the barriers also narrowed and redirected the apparent route towards the finish. Zonneveld argued that a rider sprinting alongside the right-hand boarding could continue in what appeared to be a straight line and end up against the barriers on the opposite side of the road.
Stage 12 was not treated as an isolated failure. Zonneveld also criticised the decision to place the finishes of stages 7 and 11 on bends and claimed all three finales failed to meet the standards expected under UCI regulations. “The clearest sign that you do not give a shit about the riders is the way the barriers have been dumped along the final kilometres,” he wrote.
Zonneveld described the barriers as crooked, poorly installed and placed with their feet protruding into the roadway, comparing the work to that of “a bunch of cowboys who have had one drink too many”.
He contrasted that setup with safer barrier systems already available to race organisers. When Tour race director Thierry Gouvenou had previously been questioned about the failure to use them, Zonneveld said the additional transport and resulting emissions were cited as an obstacle.
That explanation drew another furious response, with Zonneveld pointing to the Tour’s publicity caravan and the promotional waste distributed along the route. “And so the Tour continues with prehistoric barriers and finishes that breach UCI regulations,” he wrote.
Zonneveld accuses ASO of failing the entire sport
The former professional also placed the safety debate against the Tour’s enormous commercial power. He estimated that ASO earns between 150 and 200 million from each edition while spending only a small proportion of that revenue on prize money, accommodation and safer finishes.
Zonneveld recalled questioning officials about dangerous road furniture and being told that removing it would cost money. According to his account, one organiser acknowledged that crashes also carried a financial cost but added: “We do not have to pay for that.”
His column became still more incendiary when he said he would not rule out organisers accepting the spectacle produced by crashes because of the attention they generate. No evidence was presented to support that allegation, which represented the most extreme point of an already ferocious attack.
Jenno Berckmoes nurses a fractured collarbone at the 2026 Tour de France
“I know you do not give a damn when riders crash,” Zonneveld wrote. “I would not even rule out the possibility that you do it deliberately, because crashes create drama and more clicks.”
His wider warning was that standards set by the Tour inevitably filter through the rest of professional cycling. Smaller races can hardly be expected to invest in safer infrastructure if the richest and most influential event in the sport continues to resist doing so.
“When you, with all your money, do not take safety seriously, it gives every other organiser permission to do the same,” he wrote. “When you, with all your power, have the UCI in your pocket so that it does not intervene, then it will not intervene at other races either.”
Zonneveld also referenced Tim Merlier’s reaction after winning stage 12. The Belgian sprinter said he would rather see his son become a footballer than follow him into cycling after experiencing a finish of that nature.
“You can continue to ignore the subject. You can continue to blame the riders. You can continue not to give a shit about them,” Zonneveld wrote. “But surely even you must understand that you are destroying the sport from which you yourselves make tens of millions?”
The column ultimately reduced a furious attack on the Tour’s finances, influence and priorities to a basic demand: a straight road, properly aligned barriers and enough care to protect the riders racing between them.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- You're either new to cycling or you're from the US, maybe both, it would explain your attitude.Santiago17-07-2026
- Typical French . Pidcock is ex world Cyclocross champ Olympic and world MTB champ and is without doubt one of if not the best decender in the peleton and they are saying he took the wrong line lolpaultryan200217-07-2026
- Someone needs to remind this idiot that this is competitive professional sport. There is absolutely no other sport on earth, not football, not basketball, not track and field, not baseball or American football, not chess or checkers, where the defeated parties whine that the winners should lighten up and let them win too. And then where reporters write about it as a serious complaint. This is the way we expect children to play, not adults and certainly not professionals. It is a real disgrace for professional cycling that these voices are heard and amplified. Put on your big boy pants and get better.Curmudgeon17-07-2026
- Now the Movistar babies started to cry, because they have a shitty team? It's not Pogi's fault. José Joaquín Rojas, go cry on your mommies shoulder and leave cycling alone, it's not for you. Alpecin also touched a little reality, they have come down from a pink cloud this year and that's where they belong, among average teams. They have one stage win from a breakaway and will remain that way unless MVDP say's: "Pogi, please give us one more chance." Real cycling fans, not cry babies, want to see the GOAT in action. Maybe it's boring for some, especially for Pogi haters, but 80% of the fans are there to admire him, just like stadiums were full when they watched Usain Bolt demolish everyone. Today stadiums are half empty. I wouldn't actively watch the Tour if there was no Pogi (or someone like him), because I would be watching mediocre cyclists. Acta non verba !!!mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales17-07-2026
- Can't handle the truth...agaiin? Oh you poor boy.mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales17-07-2026
- Most of the time his team is now strong. But in the Le Lioran stage he had to use Piganzoli as a lead-out, which will give Visma hope.Hills3317-07-2026
- Pogi is to my mind the GOAT, no doubt. But even to him, his team matters. The lead outs he gets are absolutely unmatched by any other team. He’s basically in an armchair until he attacks, stage after stage. He gets to save a ton of energy.DAS17-07-2026
- This bloke is getting paid hundreds of thousands of Euros to ride a bike and he is not happy? Time to give it up and do something that gives him some enjoyment.whit2pet17-07-2026
- Yes, I am fortunate to have informed commentary when I watch the Tour, and the former road captain cimmentating said he thought UAE's control of the potential chaos in that stage with just two riders was brilliant. They then eased up, and immediately Ineos started hunting down the breakaway for Bernal's GC position.Hills3317-07-2026
- Hopefully Loulou will bounce back.
Davide17-07-2026
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