Tour professionals go on strike after fall farce

André Greipel took the initiative and stopped the Tour de France peloton. In response to the fall farce on the first three stages, the professionals of the largest cycling spectacle in the world went on strike, although the action did not last long a good 900 meters after the start in Redon. The drivers called for a dialogue between all those involved in order to prevent avoidable mass falls in the future. After the one-minute stop, the field strolled another ten kilometers before the race finally started. “The tour is only two days old and I feel like I've been on the road for two weeks. Mentally and physically we are all scarred,” said Tony Martin on Tuesday before the start. The four-time world champion has already been involved in several crashes. “If the route were designed differently, a lot of risk would have been taken away. Of course it's easy to say, just drive more calmly. But we are not here to drive quietly. We are here to win and protect our leaders. You don’t do that at the back, you do it at the front.” Russian roulette on two wheels The finale of the third stage in particular, with a winding descent on narrow roads a few kilometers from the finish, was too much for most drivers and teams. “I'm really at a loss for words about how this final was designed. “It looked bad on the map, but it was even worse live,” said a visibly shaken Greipel. Former world champion Michal Kwiatkowski spoke of “Russian roulette.” The tour's central organ L'Équipe wrote smugly of a “World Championship in Dominoes”. The fact that the drivers' concerns were ignored and brushed off with reference to existing rules caused additional anger. The drivers' association CPA made representations to the race jury and the ASO before the stage. “It was suggested that the time should be eight kilometers from the finish. That was rejected,” Nils Politt from Cologne told ZDF. Stars of the scene like Primoz Roglic and Geraint Thomas were involved in the falls and are only back on the bike in great pain. The mood is in the basement and criticism of the ASO, but especially of the world association UCI, is growing. Security debate has become more intense The discussion about driver safety has become more intense in recent years. Better materials for racing machines now ensure that speeds of 90 km/h and more can be easily reached on long descents. This year, the world association UCI banned the “supertuck”, an aerodynamic position in which you sit on the top tube of the bike. In addition, the forearms are no longer allowed to rest on the handlebars, which was popular with many riders on long, flat routes. These innovations were not well received by the professionals.

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Tour professionals go on strike after fall farce

After the chaos of the fall on the tour, the usual reasons are listed. It's just part of the first week. But in this case, the organizers and the world association bear some of the blame. The drivers went on strike.

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