Safety in professional cycling: These measures are planned for the Tour de France
Sven Bremer
· 02.06.2024
TOUR: Mr Thouault, after the many crashes this spring, has the ASO rethought its safety concept for the Tour de France 2024 and will there be chicanes at certain key points at the Tour, as there were at Paris-Roubaix?
Pierre-Yves Thouault: To the first question: yes, we are absolutely open to all suggestions that are made to us in order to generally improve safety on the routes of the bike races we organise. To the second question: no. This is not planned for the Tour. This was a very special device for the entrance to the Trouee d'Arenberg at Paris-Roubaix.
TOUR: What new and additional safety measures is the ASO planning for this year's edition of the Tour de France and in particular are there any plans to better protect the riders from overly inconsiderate fans?
Pierre-Yves Thouault: We will set up more 'piquetage-cordage' zones on the climbs, where we expect a lot of fans, to be able to channel the crowd better. You can be more flexible with ropes than with fixed barriers. These zones will be seven times larger than last year. We believe that this is a very effective device. We will also be communicating with spectators at the roadside on race days via various media channels, social networks, radio and television to raise awareness. There will also be loudspeaker announcements from the official Tour vehicles travelling in front of the Peleton to sensitise the spectators at the roadside once again shortly before the riders arrive. It goes without saying that we are working closely with the security forces and are always trying to improve communication in this area.
TOUR: The serious crash at the Tour of the Basque Country, in which last year's Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard, among others, was injured, is also attributed to the poor road surface. Will the roads be checked again before the start of the Tour de France and improved if necessary?
Pierre-Yves Thouault: We always do a lot of reconnaissance on the roads where the Tour de France runs. Once the route has been finalised, it is inspected and approved by former professionals. Sometimes we manage to speed up road renovation work that was already planned by a department. But on the other hand, we never ask the ASO to rebuild a road for the Tour de France. By definition, road cycling uses roads that are open to traffic all year round, exposed to the weather and so on. For as long as there have been cycle races, riders have always had to adapt to the different road surfaces. But I can assure you that the roads are checked several times by former professional cyclists. And we appoint a so-called 'Monsieur Route' for each stage, who inspects the road again shortly before the race and of course points out any danger spots. And the acoustic and visual warnings, for example before dangerous bends on descents, will be expanded once again.
TOUR: Is it conceivable that the ASO could introduce speed limits in particularly sensitive areas?
Pierre-Yves Thouault: No, this is a matter for the UCI and is not the responsibility of the organiser. But we will set up twice as many barriers as last year for mass sprints in the final metres, where the speed of the riders is at its highest, to protect the pros from, among other things, overly boisterous fans who might lean over the barriers, take photos with their smartphones and thus hinder the riders and bring them down. We have been working with Safe Cycling, the experts par excellence when it comes to safety at professional cycling races, for several years. In addition to the aspects already mentioned, it's also about developing concepts to ensure that the Garde Republicaine bikes and the riders don't get in each other's way at the end of each stage. The health of the riders is our top priority, but I must also point out that an accident of any kind is almost always multifactorial. We therefore try to take as many of these factors into account as possible, but some of them are not the responsibility of the organiser.
