The damage is heavy, very very heavy. Pneumothorax and pulmonary contusion for Jonas Vingegaard, fractures of the clavicle and scapula for Remco Evenepoel, concussion and fracture of the sternum for Sean Quinn… The violent fall that occurred on a descent around thirty kilometers from the finish of the fourth stage of the Tour of the Basque Country on Wednesday led to the hospitalization of around ten riders.
Since then, while this type of mishap has been increasing since the start of the season, the entire microcosm of cycling has been trying to find ways out so that such an accident does not turn into a tragedy. “Should we wait until there is yet another death? For a runner to have both legs cut off and lose his life during a race to make people aware? If that’s the idea, we’re not very far from it,” said Pascal Chanteur, president of the French runners’ union, to AFP. Wouldn’t one of the solutions 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 was descending the Olatea pass too quickly, on a road, what’s more, damaged by tree roots. “But it’s the same everywhere,” growls Marc Madiot, the manager of Groupama-FDJ, contacted by 20 minutes. I was in Ghent-Wevelgem a few days ago, we were on the flat, downwind, all the time at 70 km/h in the cars behind. So when it hits, it gets strikes. »
So, could we impose speed limits in certain more uneven areas, such as downhills, certain paved sectors? So, so that the riders do not arrive at full speed in the Arenberg gap, on Sunday during Paris-Roubaix, a much-discussed chicane was installed. In Spain, the organizers of cyclosportives have, for their part, 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 modify. »
Accused disc brakes, get up
And it starts with the hardware. “We have more and more efficient frames, more and more efficient as we go to places designed to slow down traffic,” believes the former winner of Paris-Roubaix. We arrive with F1 bikes on ordinary country roads. It’s like if you’re driving down the highway, it’s piling up behind you. It’s the same thing for us. In motorsport, when things go too fast, we do what we need to do on the cars or on the circuits to slow down. We go back. »
In the sights of Madiot and many professionals, the famous disc brakes, “a material not suitable for road racing, which allows emergency, brutal, instinctive braking which makes you make a mistake immediately”, according to Pascal Singer. “To limit speed, it’s simple, we ban disc brakes, we go back to pad brakes, and everything will click into place,” analyzes Marc Duchesne, owner of Royal Asport and Regina Sport, which manufacture racing bikes and tries to establish itself in the peloton. A few years ago, with pad brakes, there were no falls as serious as today. And then, it will force young riders who have always ridden discs to relearn how to brake. »
According to the Basque, removing disc brakes would be the start of the safety food chain: “If I have my brake cables coming out, which are external, the aero frame no longer makes sense. We are going to return to slightly more classic, less aggressive frame shapes. » Which would make it possible, in particular, to stop the carbon monocoque of machines. “All carbon is good, but it’s rigid, it bounces, it doesn’t give any flexibility, so it doesn’t forgive any mistakes,” says Marc Madiot.
Handlebars and gears as assisted witnesses
“Yes, the guys know how to ride their bikes, but with the all-carbon, they go faster and faster because the wheels turn on their own,” adds the cycle manufacturer. It’s phenomenal. The frames are aero, so you gain speed without doing anything, accompanied by a better position, with short handlebars, you go. » Precisely, the size of the handlebars could also be responsible for falls. To be more aerodynamic, handlebars tend to be short (the UCI has banned handlebars shorter than 36cm). “And it is therefore less easy to steer a bicycle, especially in an emergency situation,” notes Madiot.
Another concern noted by Valentin Madouas on his social networks, the evolution of the gears, which allows the racing speed to be increasingly increased. “Every year, we go up a notch,” explains the French champion in The Team. When I turned pro, I was in 53×11, today, on flat stages, you have to wear 56 if you want to follow. Before it was just the sprinters, now it’s everyone. » “With the gears used, they travel at 80 km/h on the downhill slopes,” laments Pascal Chanteur. When it hits, you have no way out. »
So, could going back and slowing down technological innovations be possible for the health of runners? Nothing is sure. “It’s up to the UCI to legislate all of this,” concludes Marc Madiot. But what we are saying here, we already said it five years ago. Every time there is a big fall, we talk about these situations. What changed ? Nothing. »