JACOB TIPPER: IS RIDER SPEED REALLY THE PROBLEM?

I spent last Friday at the UCI Track Champions League final round in London with an athlete I support.

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It was an exciting, well-produced event, but was unfortunately brought to a rather sudden close as Katy Marchant and Alessa-Catriona Pröpster ended up crashing over the brand-new safety barriers, with Katy sustaining arm fractures and two dislocated fingers. It was just another reminder of the constant risks faced by riders within our sport.

There are currently discussions on rider safety at UCI headquarters, and although I'm not privy to the exact conversations, it seems clear the onus is on the riders to slow down, as opposed to making the courses safer, or holding UUB race organisers to account if and when they ignore current recommendations.