JACOB TIPPER MAKE RACING SAFER

After a winter filled with discussions over safety improvements — gear restrictions, bans on deep-section wheels, and other marginal tweaks — little seems to have changed so far in 2025.

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The biggest safety failures have had nothing to do with the riders or their equipment but with race organisation.

First, at the Étoile de Bessèges, cars somehow found their way onto the course, forcing entire teams to withdraw from the race. Then, at the Tour de la Provence, a sprint-stage finish was marred by a dangerous crash due to a speed bump in the final straight. And finally, at the Volta ao Algarve, the opening stage ended in farcical fashion as over half the peloton sprinted down the wrong road after a misdirected turn, leading to a stage cancellation. All these in one month, so it can’t just be a bit of bad luck or a fluke, but a flaw in how bike races are planned. Fortunately, nothing seriously bad happened at any of these events, but that was just luck.