The damage is heavy, very very heavy. Pneumothorax and contusion of lungs for Jonas Vingegaard, broken collarbone and scapula for Remco Evenepoel, concussion and broken sternum for Sean Quinn… A sharp fall that occurred on a descent about thirty kilometers before the finish of the fourth stage of the Tour of the Basque Country on Wednesday led to the hospitalization of about ten riders.
Since then, while this type of accident has been increasing since the beginning of the season, the whole microcosm of cycling has been trying to find ways out so that such an accident does not turn into a tragedy. “Shall we wait for the next death to come? For a runner to cut off both legs during a race and lose his life to make people aware? If it’s an idea, we’re not too far from it,” Pascal Chanteur, president of the French runners’ union, told AFP. Wouldn’t one solution be to reduce the speed of the peloton?
Speed in justice of the peace
In the opinion of many runners interviewed after the accident, the peloton descended Olatea Pass too quickly, on the road, in addition to the damaged tree roots. “But it’s the same everywhere,” grumbles Marc Madiot, manager of Groupama-FDJ, when contacted 20 minutes. A few days ago I was in Gent-Wevelgem, we drove on the flat, with the wind, the whole time in the cars behind us at 70 km/h. So when he hits, he gets hit. »
So could we introduce speed limits in certain more bumpy areas, such as exits, certain paved sections? So to prevent riders from reaching the Arenberg gap at full speed, a much-discussed chicane was installed on Sunday during Paris-Roubaix. In Spain, the organizers of cycling races have decided to systematically neutralize all descents. “A race is a race, you have to keep your spirit,” continues Marc Madiot. If we start to neutralize certain areas, it no longer makes sense. We must modify what we can change. »
Accused disc brakes, stand up
And it starts with the hardware. “We have more and more efficient frames, more and more efficient when we go to places designed to slow down traffic,” believes the former Paris-Roubaix winner. We arrive with F1 bikes on normal country roads. It’s like when you’re driving down the highway, it piles up behind you. It’s the same with us. In motorsport, when things are going too fast, we do what we need to do on the cars or on the circuits to slow it down. We’re going back. »
According to Pascal Singer, in the eyes of Madiot and many professionals, disc brakes are famous, “a material not suitable for road racing, which allows emergency braking, brutal, instinctive, which makes you make a mistake immediately”. “To limit the speed, it’s simple, we’ll ban disc brakes, go back to disc brakes and everything will fall into place,” analyzes Marc Duchesne, owner of the racing bike companies Royal Asport and Regina Sport, which are trying to establish themselves in the peloton. A few years ago, with disc brakes, crashes were not as serious as they are today. And then it forces young riders who have always ridden discs to relearn how to brake. »
Eliminating disc brakes would mark the beginning of the safety food chain, according to Basque: “If I get out the brake cables that are external, the aero frame no longer makes sense. We’re going back to slightly more classic, less aggressive frame shapes. » Which would make it possible, in particular, to stop the carbon monocoque machines. “Full carbon is good, but it’s stiff, it bounces, it doesn’t provide any flexibility, so it doesn’t forgive any mistakes,” says Marc Madiot.
Handlebars and gears as assisted witnesses
“Yes, guys can ride bikes, but with full carbon they go faster and faster because the wheels turn on their own,” adds the bike maker. It’s phenomenal. The frames are aero, so you pick up speed without doing anything, accompanied by a better position, with short handlebars you ride. » The size of the handlebars was also to blame for the falls. For greater aerodynamics, the handlebars tend to be short (the UCI has banned handlebars shorter than 36 cm). “And that makes it less easy to steer the bike, especially in an emergency situation,” notes Madiot.
Another concern, noted by Valentin Madouas on his social networks, is the evolution of gears, which allows for ever greater speed of racing speed. “Every year we go one step higher,” explains the French champion v Team. When I turned pro I was in a 53×11, today, on the flat stages, you have to wear a 56 if you want to follow. Before it was just sprinters, now it’s everyone. » “With used gears, they drive on the slopes at a speed of 80 km/h,” complains Pascal Chanteur. When that happens, you have no way out. »
So would it be possible to go back and slow technological innovation for runners’ health? Nothing is sure. “It is up to the UCI to legislate all this,” concludes Marc Madiot. But what we are saying here, we already said five years ago. Every time there’s a big crash, we talk about these situations. what has changed? Nothing. »