Safe and sound?

Should the UCI issue a small race a big fine for safety transgressions probably due to a lack of funds?

- Ned Boulting

My recent trip to follow the Étoile de Bessèges was a revelation in all sorts of ways. Over the course of five sodden days of racing, bookended by cold sunshine, I got to know a part of southern France that flies under the radar. But I also witnessed up close the fault lines that exist in the cloistered world of professional cycling. And that was both surprising and fascinating.

Most people who have normal jobs and aren’t preoccupied by such matters, as I am, can, of course, be forgiven for not knowing the first thing about this bike race. Currently in its 55th iteration, it’s a venerable stage race, in a hard-pressed part of the world. Coal mining was the lifeblood of the Cévennes mountains north of Montpellier, until the pits closed in the latter part of the last century. Since then, the local economies have been ravaged by business closures and depopulation. Their bike race, the first stage race of the year in France, is a point of light and pride. It draws communities together and gives towns such as Alès and Bessèges a moment to celebrate.