Due to NATO summit: Cycling races without police protection - is the Netherlands facing a season without cycling?

Major global politics are casting their shadows ahead - and in 2025, they are taking the spotlight away from cycling in the Netherlands in particular. In the host country of the NATO summit on 24 and 25 June, there will apparently be no motorbike police available from the beginning of the year until the end of August to provide the usual level of security for road cycling races in the neighbouring country.

"It's bitter and disappointing"

Maurice Leeser, director of the Dutch Cycling Federation KNWU, said: "It is bitter and disappointing to realise that the two-day NATO summit will result in motorbike officers being absent from cycling races for a period of no less than eight months, which is almost the entire cycling season. The KNWU will do everything in its power with the organisers to ensure that the planned bike races can take place in 2025. In doing so, it is crucial to accelerate the deployment of civilian motorbike pilots. We hereby urge the ministries to make the necessary resources available as soon as possible for the development of a national guide for civil motorbike traffic controllers."

The cycling calendar and the organisers of cycling races and events in the Netherlands have been under pressure for several years now. One reason for this is the limited availability of motorbike police officers, who play a crucial role in ensuring safety and order at bike races on public roads.

>> The men's cycling race calendar 2025

>> The women's cycling race calendar 2025

Strategies for saving police resources

The Royal Dutch Cycling Federation, in collaboration with the police, has therefore been making adjustments to the race calendar since 2018. As a result, the number of races that require a police escort has been significantly reduced. Other cycling races have been and will be converted into circuit races where the route is completely closed. In addition, the KNWU has been working for some time on a framework for the deployment of more civilian motorbike pilots to compensate for the reduced deployment of motorbike police officers at bike races.

In 2023, a study was launched to evaluate whether civilian motorbike pilots could take over all or part of the escort duties of police motorcyclists while maintaining existing safety standards. This study was conducted on behalf of the Ministries of Health, Welfare and Sport, Justice and Security, Infrastructure and Water Management, the National Police and the KNWU and was completed in September 2024.

National guidelines for more civil motorbike pilots

The most important conclusion of the study is that civilian motorbike traffic controllers can make a valuable contribution to relieving the burden on police motorcyclists, provided certain conditions are met. These include appropriate training, the use of communication tools and clear labelling. Based on these findings, the KNWU will work towards the development of a national guideline for civil motorbike traffic controllers. This guideline will define the way in which pilots are deployed for civil traffic, the training requirements they must fulfil and the competencies they must possess. According to the KNWU, it is crucial that this directive is developed as quickly as possible.

MEP Inge van Dijk, with the support of two other MEPs, has now tabled an amendment to release the necessary financial resources for the KNWU in favour of a national directive for civilian motorbike pilots at bike races. This amendment is to be discussed in Parliament at the beginning of December.