The riders’ own speech is also quite clear. Newly elected leader of the Professional Cyclists’ Association (CPA), Adam Hansen, shared an image on Twitter earlier this spring from a survey they had done. There, 171 out of 171 answered yes to the question whether they think yellow and red could have led to the riders taking less risk and whether a possible punishment could be that a red card meant that one had to sit out the next ride. In this year’s Flanders round, there was an example of a type of incident where a set of rules with yellow and red cards could have been used. There, Polish Filip Maciejuk tried to advance past the field outside the road, but ended up losing control of the bike and drove into the field. – The main goal of such a system is that right now riders are not punished directly or have a fear that they are responsible for their own mistakes. The whole point of this is that the riders should think twice before making a dangerous maneuver on the bike, says Hansen to news. – Right now you can do almost anything possible. There are some guidelines at the UCI, but the riders don’t take them seriously, says Hansen. news has asked several questions to the International Cycling Union (UCI). They state in an e-mail that they have no comment in connection with this case. Higher level and speed 41-year-old Hansen cycled at the highest level from 2007 to 2020, but he now cycles at the third highest level in cycling for an Austrian team. He believes it is “much more dangerous” now than when he started his career. He bases this on a higher level, faster bikes and more and more traffic islands, and for Hansen, safety is the main issue he and CPA are working on. Alexander Kristoff also believes there are more dangerous situations now than earlier in his career. The Norwegian profile gives the thumbs up for a system with yellow and red cards. Not because the riders now take more risks, but because the speed has increased. VELT: Sam Welsford (black suit) was relegated to 118th place after this sprint in Dunkirk last year, where Arnaud De Lie and Daniel McLay both went down just before the finish line. Photo: FRANCOIS LO PRESTI / AFP – Higher speed generally makes it more “risky”. Equipment is getting better, so then we cycle faster and when things go wrong, the consequences are worse. It becomes a bit like if you drive at 60 km/h and lie three meters behind the car in front, it feels quite safe. If you drive at 90 km/h and have three meters to the car, it feels much closer, says Kristoff and continues: – Even though it is the same distance to the car in front, the time you have to react is shorter. It will be like this now as everything goes a little faster. We are just as close, but have less time to react since the speed is higher, he says. Over 50 riders slipped on the road during the Tour de Bretagne. – The missing piece According to Hansen, the UCI has already set up a system with yellow and red cards. – I think this is the missing piece in the puzzle. I spoke to the UCI and they said they have thought about this. It means that it has been discussed. Perhaps they thought that we could introduce such a system, but that the riders might hate it. When I talk to the riders and 100 per cent say it’s a good idea, it shows the UCI that the riders didn’t oppose this, he says and continues: – Then we can take a closer look at it and how it can be done fairly. What a red card is and what a yellow card means. It is my job, to speak on behalf of the riders and hopefully reach their demands. On the fifth stage of this year’s Giro d’Italia, a dog suddenly strays into the trail. It created a massive upheaval and the worst was the world champion and overall candidate, Remco Evenepoel
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– The missing piece in the puzzle – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
