2023-07-05 17:20:05
It must have been a transition stage, one that often only offers beautiful images of a peloton dawdling across fields. And it was indeed a country walk for a long time inviting you to take a siesta. Except that the arrival on the Nogaro motor circuit on Tuesday July 4 caused a sudden runaway, and that the sprinting cars suddenly played bumper cars. Result: severe falls, multiple contusions and two abandonments for two runners transferred to the hospital in Pau, where two fractures of the collarbone were observed.
After the race, Mathieu van der Poel, who had done the job of throwing his winning teammate Jasper Philipsen, got angry: “It was super dangerous. If there had been so many corners for a sprint finish in town, there would have been criticism. There, as it is a circuit, everything is allowed! » The Belgian is well placed to know: for a nasty nudge in the fight, he himself was downgraded and penalized in the points classification!
The way of running in question
As a result, the reservations about the choice of this end of the race on the Paul-Armagnac circuit seriously annoy Thierry Gouvenou, the gentleman journey of the Tour de France: “We cannot generalize from what happened: at the Paris-Nice event this year, we experienced the opposite. Critics on the bends before arriving in town on the first stage and in the end no one fell. The next day, a long finish in a straight line in front of the Château de Fontainebleau, and badaboum, a massive fall. In Nogaro, it’s the way of running that is at the origin of the incidents: a soft stage, sprinters who arrive very fresh and rebound on the final, all together on a wide road where it’s the big scramble . However, we could repeat this arrival ten times with ten different scenarios. »
As the technical director again points out, the Tour “does not take place on a standardized ground”, and the behavior of the riders is obviously a decisive element, especially during the first week of racing, which the peloton as a whole agrees to find “very stressful”. The high tension could also still be relevant for probable sprints in Bordeaux on Friday July 7 or in Limoges on the 8th.
Making descents even more secure
Until then, vigilance will be focused on the Pyrenean descents. The death on June 15 of runner Gino Mäder, 26, in a very tight bend of the Albula pass on the Tour de Suisse, struck the spirits in the racing world. And all the actors wonder about the best way to try to avoid such a tragedy. On the Grande Boucle, some novelties, already tested on the Critérium du Dauphiné, are in order: the installation of sound totems announcing the difficulties, banners with yellow chevrons on a black background to signal dangerous bends. The installation along the parapet or the wall of the mountain of absorbent mattresses used in the ski events is also planned in the steepest descents identified at Joux Plane (14th stage) and at the Col de la Loze (17th stage).
The organizers have not returned to the route of the stages, however, proposing an arrival after descents, even though the statistics reveal that the majority of accidents occur in the last twenty kilometers, when the lucidity of the riders, especially after having chained passes , is less. “Of course, we have to work harder and harder to secure our roads, but on the other hand, we can’t just finish at the top. It is not a question of distorting the race. Cycling will remain a magnificent and cruel sport,” assumed Christian Prudhomme before leaving for Bilbao.
Many runners are on the same line, arguing the efforts made, especially on the Grande Boucle, and not avoiding their own role in the affair. “The peloton is quite paradoxical, where a kind of fraternity coexists at the same time as an adversity which sometimes pushes us to let our aggressiveness overflowanalyzes Guillaume Martin, the Cofidis climber. In terms of security, there is also a part that is ours: be careful not to do things at any cost. » Sprinter Bryan Coquard is no longer in the dodge: “We must continue the debate to ensure maximum security. But each runner must also have a sense of responsibility, realize that it’s sport and that we’re not here to lose our lives. »
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