UCI completely misses the mark with well-intentioned press release on safety; Zonneveld and Plugge react strongly

Let’s first see what the UCI had to say. In recent months, safety has been a major topic of discussion, with the safety body SafeR as an important source of knowledge and advice. For example, in the Tour de France, there will be seven stages where an exception is made to the three-kilometer rule, which determines time gaps for the general classification. On stages 1, 3, 4, 9, 15, 17, and 21, that limit will be extended to five kilometers.

Additionally, yellow cards have been in use for some time for dangerous riding and reckless behavior during races. As a result, Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Oscar Riesebeek recently received a seven-day suspension after getting two yellow cards in one race. The UCI shared that in 173 race days this year, they issued 159 yellow cards, 42 percent of which went to riders. However, this was not the part that sparked outrage in the cycling world.

That was about race incidents – 297 in total over the past six months, of which 203 were identified. “The most common cause – or main contributing factor – is rider error (29%),” it stated. By this, the UCI refers to dangerous moments caused by positioning (12%). The remaining 71 percent includes factors such as slippery and wet roads, descents, infrastructure, signage, and more.

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Cycling journalist Thijs Zonneveld reacted angrily to the UCI’s conclusion. “You are framing safety, again, as a riders responsibilty. What about the 71%, what about the role and responsility of organisers and the governing federation itself?” Visma | Lease a Bike director Richard Plugge is asking the same question. “Fixed: "The most common cause – or main contributing factor – is the race environment (71%). While riders own mistake counts for 29% of the incidents."

The UCI promises improvements, including limiting extreme speeds by regulating maximum gear ratios and using GPS to track riders. But according to people in the cycling world, the way the UCI interprets these figures says a lot. UCI president David Lappartient only said, “Rider safety remains an important priority for the UCI and all stakeholders in cycling.”