Tour de France organisers issue remarkable response to Alpe d'Huez criticism: 'Car has sensors everywhere'

The Alpe d'Huez stage of the Tour de France caused quite a stir. There was a frenzied crowd on the “Dutch Mountain,” and Einer Rubio ultimately fell victim to it. There was a lot of criticism directed at the organisers—had they done too little to protect the riders? The organisers have vehemently refuted that criticism.

Rubio was part of the breakaway on Friday during Stage 19 of the Tour, but ultimately had to drop back. Just after eventual winner Tadej Pogacar had sped past him, the Colombian ended up right behind the UAE team car. The car suddenly had to slam on the brakes because of a fan who had fallen onto the road. Rubio went through the rear window and had to withdraw from the race, sustaining 20 stitches to his face as a result.

Could that accident have been avoided? “Perhaps all accidents can be prevented at the moment they happen, but it’s clear that these days we also have new cars equipped with sensors everywhere,” counters Thierry Gouvenou, director at the Tour organization and also a course designer, on Sporza. “The car detected a spectator who had fallen in front of it, braked abruptly, and the engine stalled.”

"If we’d had cars that were twenty years older, the accident wouldn’t have happened," goes the argument. The seemingly selective Frenchman doesn’t say a word about what would have happened to the bystander in that case. Still, Gouvenou also said, “It’s always a bit amazing to see how this crowd of people comes together and prepares for this gathering months and months in advance.”

He knows full well that Alpe d'Huez is legendary. “And it’s true that there were an enormous number of people there yesterday. So that still causes us some concern,” Gouvenou does admit. There’s always a “but”... “I do want to say that the vast majority are behaving reasonably well: we’re seeing fewer spectators walking alongside the riders, but there’s still a small percentage of spectators who are doing all sorts of things and kind of ruining the party.”

The organization did, in fact, take measures. “We closed Alpe d’Huez at 2 p.m. the day before to prevent any more cars from driving up. Compared to previous years, a huge number of additional barriers were put in place. Ropes were strung up and posts were installed. More police officers were deployed along the climb.”

Still, the Frenchman notes that this year there was simply “an incredibly large crowd.” Finding solutions is difficult in that case. “You could also ban spectators. We could put up fences, but will the fans stay behind them? I remember the last time in the Basque Country when we put up fences on the final climb, and the fans just climbed right over them.”

According to Gouvenou, it’s not that simple after all. “It really comes down to the fans’ attitude. The solution is to make it as clear as possible to the fans that they must respect the riders. Restrictive measures alone won’t be enough.”

Thijs Zonneveld, among others, suggested simply charging an admission fee. Gouvenou doesn't think that's a good idea. "That doesn't fit with the spirit of the Tour. It's a free sport for spectators. That's precisely the great strength of cycling. That's not the path we should take."