(CNN) — The Tour de France is a race that grips the cycling world every year, but the run-up to the 2023 competition, which starts this Saturday, has been overshadowed by safety concerns that have raised existential questions for the sport.
In June, Swiss cyclist Gino Mäder died at the age of 26 after a crash on the fifth stage of the Tour de Suisse.
Nearly 200 kilometers into the race, Mäder collided at high speed with American cyclist Magnus Sheffield, race organizers said after the crash. They descended via the Albula pass towards La Punt, where the stage concluded.
Mäder fell into a ravine and was found motionless in the water before being revived and transported to the Chur city hospital by air ambulance.
His death has taken emotional tolls, but it has also raised concerns about the safety measures surrounding elite cycling.
As technology improves and group dynamics change, cycling is evolving and some are calling for it to change, and quickly, to ensure greater safety for cyclists.
Gino Mäder competing in the fourth stage of the Tour of Switzerland 2023. (Credit: Dario Belingheri/Velo/Getty Images)
Adam Hansen, a former cyclist who has participated eight times in the Tour de France, is the newly elected president of Cyclistes Professionnels Associés (CPA), the organization charged with looking after the interests of professional cyclists.
Hansen told CNN Sport that as bikes have gotten faster, professional cycling has become a “very dangerous sport.”
But speed isn’t the only problem. In any bicycle race, much of the race focuses on what happens in the peloton, the main body of riders, and how the riders and teams compete for position.
“You’ve probably heard this term in cycling, ‘there’s no respect in the peloton anymore.’ And what I think that really means is the riders are getting more dangerous in the peloton,” Hansen explained.
“In the first 150km of a 200km race, the runners respect each other, they don’t cut each other down, they don’t fight for a position with more than 100km left to go, I’m more relaxed. And now people are fighting for every seat and standing side by side with other riders and they are becoming more dangerous in that sense.”
Hansen says riders won’t have motivational issues in this year’s Tour, but Mäder’s death will likely be on the minds of some competitors at certain times.
“I know that when there are high-speed, fast descents, there will definitely be some riders with, shall we say, that thought in the back of their head, and they will be a little more nervous and a little more cautious and maybe take less risk.
Tom Pidcock, who rides for team Ineos, says Mäder’s death could result in a more cautious offspring of racers.
“I think especially for all those who were in the race [el Tour de Suisse]it was quite tough,” the British cyclist told reporters on Wednesday. “I think I didn’t see a single rider taking any risks in the last two stages after that crash.
“Personally, one of the things that struck me was that it happened going downhill, which is something I love. She showed me what the consequences can be when it goes wrong. I don’t take unnecessary risks, but things can happen when we go down to 100 km/h in lycra”.
Hansen leads the peloton during stage five of the 100th edition of the Tour de France in 2013. (Credit: Joel Sagat/AFP/Getty Images)
How could the security of the Tour be improved?
Hansen said that in his role as CPA chair he has worked with cyclists to see how cycling could potentially be made safer.
From unified signage between races to aid racers and safety nets on descents to the minute details of how close a marshal stands to a parked car, nothing is out of the question for Hansen before handing over his recommendations to the Union Cycliste. world governing body for cycling.
There is a growing wave of advocates of adding safety nets to high-speed corners in an effort to catch cyclists falling off a cliff.
“In the rare situation where someone goes over the edge, having a small amount of networking could save lives,” Jonathan Vaughters, team manager at EF Education Easy Post, told The Guardian. “Safety is a very difficult issue in cycling. I’ve seen a lot of suggestions from people about limiting speed downhill and doing it would be safer.”
Hansen adds that educating an increasingly younger group is an important factor in making the sport safer.
“Cyclists should be aware that cycling is a dangerous sport. And I think sometimes they forget about it and they need to be educated about it well,” he explained. [era] quite old, but today we have 20 years on it.
“So what I hear is you are making these super young guys do big races like the Dauphine in Switzerland and the Giro [‘d’Italia]the tour [de Francia].
“Like this year in the Giro, I think a 19-year-old has already done it twice. And normally you would be 24 and you had five years of pro racing before making a big ride. So maybe it’s inexperience.
“These are things we need to investigate further and definitely educate cyclists about the dangers and huge risks that are not worth taking.”
CNN reached out to organizers of the Tour de France race to inquire about the additional safety measures implemented, but has not received a response at the time of publishing.
The structure of the Tour de France
The 2023 Tour de France will see the famous race celebrate its 120th anniversary.
The first stage, called the Grand Départ, is 182 kilometers long and starts in Bilbao, Spain, which hosts the first three stages before the Tour moves to France. Since the 1950s, the Tour has often started in a different country to allow fans from other nations to experience the race.
In total, there will be 21 stages, including eight flat stages, eight mountain stages, four hilly stages, one individual time trial and two rest days. The race will conclude in Paris on the Champs-Élysées on Sunday 23 July.
The famous yellow jersey will be awarded to the winner of the individual general classification, and the green jersey to the winner of the points classification.
The polka dot jersey is awarded to the best climber and the white jersey to the best young rider.
A woman walks past a giant yellow jersey ahead of the 110th edition of the Tour de France in Bilbao. (Credit: Marco Bertorello/AFP/Getty Images)
an epic duel
Jonas Vingegaard is the reigning Tour champion this year. The Danish rider had come close in the years leading up to the 2022 race, but finally swept yellow in dramatic fashion last year and has continued to look strong this season, winning the Critérium du Dauphiné in June.
Vingegaard, who rides for the Jumbo-Visma team, will have to fend off a challenge from two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar if he is to win a second title.
Pogacar had had a brilliant start to the season but broke his wrist two months ago and only returned to competitive racing earlier this month.
If the Slovenian looks close to his prime, it could be a fascinating battle between Pogacar and Vingegaard. Last year, the two clashed with Vingegaard and finally beat the UAE star and it is likely that the pair will meet once again this year.
Pogačar celebrates crossing the finish line to win the 86th edition of the men’s race “La Flèche Wallonne” on April 19, 2023. (Credit:::: Goyvaerts/AFP/BELGIAN/Getty Images)
Elsewhere, 2019 Tour de France champion Egan Bernal is competing in his first Grand Tour event since sustaining serious injuries in a crash last year.
The Colombian crashed into the back of a bus and sustained injuries to his back, legs, knees and chest, but is now part of an Ineos squad hoping to return to the top of men’s cycling.
