Jonas Vingegaard warned about descent of Basque Country horror crash months ago, but organisers “never gave an answer”, claims Safe Cycling; Peta Cavendish joins Adam Hansen in calling out “voyeuristic” filming of crashed riders + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
The post I never wanted to make, but here's the list of injuries from yesterday's crash at Itzulia Basque
Days like these are what you dread as a cycling journalist, but at least what I’m glad about it is that there were no serious, life-threatening injuries (although there very well could have been, with riders going down into a concrete gutter at the bend), and all the teams with have released updates about the riders’ injuries. So as it stands:
- Initial reports said that Team Visma Lease a Bike’s Jonas Vingegaard suffered a broken collarbone and several broken ribs. The team has released another update this morning saying that the Dane also suffered a pulmonary contusion and pneumothorax (or a collapsed lung), but is “stable” and “had a good night” at the hospital.
- Soudal Quick-Step’s Remco Evenepoel suffered a broken collarbone and a fracture to his right scapula. The team said he will travel to Belgium today, where he will undergo an operation on his collarbone, and further examination, at the hospital in Herentals.
- TotalEnergies’ Steff Cras suffered a collapsed right lung, several associated rib fractures and two dorsal vertebral fractures, in addition to several hematomas, wounds and dermabrasions. The team informed that he’ll stay in hospital for a few days.
- UAE Team Emirates’ doctor said that Jay Vine suffered a heavy crash today during the race and sustained a cervical and two thoracic spine vertebral body fractures, but thankfully no other major injuries or head trauma. Vine is expected to stay in the hospital for neurological observation, with spinal orthopaedic assessment to take place soon.”
- Meidcal examinations showed that Bora-Hansgrohe’s Primož Roglič did not sustain any fractures, but bruises and abrasions.
I really hope nothing goes wrong here... Another look at the Arenberg chicane for Paris-Roubaix
While I know that any cyclist would take crashing on tarmac instead of the sharp, dangerous cobbles of Paris-Roubaix (as Matteo Jorgensen also pointed out yesterday), but with the Basque Country crash still burned into my memory, I can’t help but ignore the bad feeling I have about this new layout… Both fingers crossed and praying that I’m proven wrong.
But anyway, here’s another look at the not-at-all F1-style chicane the riders will have to navigate before entering the Forest of Arenberg on Sunday.
A chicane que antecede o Arenberg#parisroubaix pic.twitter.com/zgKBwxfawG
— O País Do Ciclismo (@opaisdociclismo) April 5, 2024
“Speeding” cyclists equally to blame for serious collision on bike path, judge rules
Two cyclists who were involved in a serious collision on a National Cycle Route, which left one of the riders requiring resuscitation after his heart stopped, have been found equally to blame for the crash by a judge, who said the cyclists were “travelling at twice the safe speed” and were oblivious to each other’s presence when the “inevitable” crash took place.
> “Speeding” cyclists equally to blame for serious collision on bike path, judge rules
Bravo! Cyclists block car traffic until drivers removed cars from the bike lane
Showing how it’s done! This little clip is from Valencia Street in San Fransisco, with group Safe Streets Rebel taking it to the streets to protest people using the bike lane as a loading bay. “‘While cars were loading in the bike lane, we paused car traffic to create a safe route for bikes,” they wrote.
Just a minute, be right back!
‘While cars were loading in the bike lane, we paused car traffic to create a safe route for bikes.’
~@safestreetrebel, Valencia Street in #SanFrancisco pic.twitter.com/EiMw3bH4L8— Cycling Professor 🚲 (@fietsprofessor) April 5, 2024
Lilian Calmejane has a few words to say…
Intermarché-Wanty’s Lilian Calmejane shared a few thoughts about yesterday’s crash on his Twitter, writing: “Everyone is looking for explanations for the numerous crashes. This might be a good time for our ‘oils’ to get things moving! The 36 handlebars, the radio, no sanctions (financial/suspension) for bad behaviours by a rider and of course the famous ‘final bottle’ that 80% take..”
Famous bottle here, referring to the caffeine gels cyclists gobble before getting on the bikes presumably (and maybe concocted with a few doses of crushed painkillers, the infamous, now-banned tramadol comes to mind). So much discussion going around with the crash, so many fingers being pointed and so many ideas floating around. What is your take on all this?
> Tour de France hit by tack attack, Lilian Calmejane calls out “morons” who endangered riders
Everyone is looking for explanations for the numerous crashes. This might be a good time for our “oils” to get things moving! The 36 handlebars, the radio, no sanctions (financial/suspension) for bad behaviours by a rider and of course the famous “final bottle 🧪” that 80% take..
— Lilian Calmejane (@L_Calmejane) April 4, 2024
He also shared his thoughts on rim vs disc brakes. A Twitter user commented: “Are disc breaks resulting in faster speeds, later breaking and greater risk taking knowing they can push the limits further? From disc breaks to aero bikes and clothing, I wonder if record average speeds are coming from speed going downhill as much as anywhere else?”
To which, Calmejane replied: “One hand you are true but in the other hand if you come back on rim brakes, was insane how dangerous that was with wet roads!”
“Crashes have been part of the sport, but this is way out of hand”: Former Irish pro Nicholas Roche weighs on the horror Basque Country crash, joins Calmejane in pointing out “crazy doses of caffeine”
While we’re grateful that most riders came out without any major life-threatening injuries, could the Itzulia Basque crash open the floodgates for more safety measures and clamping down on fuelling agents such as caffeine gels?
Because former Irish road champion and Vuelta stage winner Nicholas Roche has become the second person to target caffeine as one of the contributing factors for yesterday’s crash, after Lilian Calmejane.
Roche, who himself was involved in a pretty horrific crash in the 2019 Vuelta a España while wearing the leader’s jersey, said that he “never really recovered from this crash”. He retired from the road cycling two years later, and had a fairly successful spell on gravel, while also leading Trinity Racing as its DS in 2022.
But he said that these past years of his career had been “shaped” by the crash and “he’s still living with the consequences”.
In an Instagram post, he wrote: “I remember my first years as a pro cyclist, I was thought to drop back 2k from the summit to get bottles that i would then work my way down and give on the descent to my teammates.
“Descending was made to recover. Refuel. Cycling has changed and already since a long time, evolution is also normal.
“It’s 3 years since I follow cycling from a different angle. I am not sure if in the bunch it didn’t look so bad although i admit been more scared in my last years.
“But I have come to fear for my friends racing. The speed is higher, the general level is higher, the battle for aero has also become on the edge of dangerous, the braking power is greater (meaning less reaction time behind to brake), riders ride closer, teams make the most of danger zones to put pressure, road furnitures are built to make vehicles go slower when cyclist are going faster… the stakes for victory are so high that riders are ready to risk it all. Crazy doses of caffeine(most gel contain caffeine).
“I feel for many years riders were blaming organisers, but was most time a rider fault. But organizers are also looking for more spectacular routes!
“I don’t believe there is one single reason to blame for causing all of these crashes. But every one and every thing plays a part.
“Crashes have been part of the sport, they created the drama but this is way out of hand. Its not normal that riders should risk there life if they hope to perform Hopefully the sport can work all together to provide a safer job.”
Evenepoel's speed entering yesterday's turn: 78.2km/h
Evenepoel’s speed entering yesterday’s turn: 78.2km/h. #Itzulia2024 pic.twitter.com/ukvEMiz1yK
— Luc Grefte (@LucGrefte) April 5, 2024
Police called to Scott Sports HQ over “dispute between managers” as corporate power struggle continues
The corporate drama at Scott Sports continues, as police were called to the bike and sportswear company’s headquarters this week over a “dispute between managers” – just days after CEO Beat Zaugg refused to accept the company’s decision to dismiss him, sparking a bizarre power struggle within the higher echelons of the Swiss-based brand.
Incredible photo finish at stage 5 of Itzulia Basque Country!
Exorcising the ghosts of yesterday, or maybe more like shoving them to the side, racing resumed today in the Basque country, Mattias Skjelmose of Lidl-Trek now riding in the lead after the crash took the top two, Roglič and Evenepoel out.
And the finish was a fiercely contested sprint finish with a photo finish for the ages, leaving commentators (and your live blog host) stumped on who won at the bike throw!
Ultimately, it was Romain Grégoire of Groupama FDJ who won by the merest of margins, beating out Orluis Aular (who me and Carlton Kirby both thought had won instead), and Max Schachmann.
𝙋𝙃𝙊𝙏𝙊 𝙁𝙄𝙉𝙄𝙎𝙃! 📸
Romain Gregoire wins the penultimate stage of Itzulia Basque Country by the 𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙨𝙩 of margins! 🤏🏁#Itzulia2024 pic.twitter.com/TeKiQUMZyc
— Eurosport (@eurosport) April 5, 2024
Thymen Arensman's father backs TV coverage of crashes
The dialectic nature of the reaction to yesterday’s crash seems to be never-ending, and now in contrast to Peta Cavendish and Adam Hansen’s remarks of criticising the TV direction for showing images of crashed riders, Ineos Grenadier’s Dutch cyclist Thymen Arensman’s father Martjin has said that he’d much rather see the riders on broadcast than cut away.
Responding to a fan who had said that showing such dreadful images on broadcast was “disgraceful”, Martjin said: “I don’t agree, how disgraceful it seems for you. When my son crashed last year for us it was better and less stressful to see and view the situation than no nothing at all. In Thymen’s case the impact was mild but the view was the same on a stretcher and breathing support.”
I don’t agree, how disgraceful it seems for you. When my son crashed last year for us it was better and less stressful to see and view the situation than no nothing at all. In Thymen’s case the impact was mild but the view was the same on a stretcher and breathing support.
— Martijn Arensman (@mwarensman) April 4, 2024
The fan seemed to take Martjin’s response in a constructive way, saying: “Fair enough, you’d certainly know better than me. Thanks for sharing your experience. I remember that crash, was really really horrible”
Sam Welsford's eloquent description of Arenberg and the infamous chicane
Sometimes, you don’t need a lot of words to be eloquent, as we can all learn from Aussie Welsford.
Arenburg.. still shit. https://t.co/7vpDaBjJA5
— Sam Welsford (@sam_welsford) April 5, 2024
What about the chicane right before the Arenberg cobbles, you ask?
Even shitter
— Sam Welsford (@sam_welsford) April 5, 2024
Itzulia Basque claims more victims: Four more riders out, with Mikel Landa suffering a broken collarbone
The crashes just won’t stop eh? After a day mired with the horrific crash, Itzulia Basque has claimed more victims in today’s stage five, with two riders from Soudal Quick-Step and Movistar each.
With around 94km to go, Mikel Landa, Gil Gelders, Gonzalo Serrano and Pelayo Sanchez were involved in a crash, with all four being forced to withdraw from the race. Landa, however, came off the worst (from what we know so far), violently falling on his left shoulder against the asphalt. It seemed like a repeat of yesterday’s horror images once again, with Landa left unable to move and being stretchered off into an ambulance.
Quick-Step has now confirmed that the Spanish cyclist has suffered a fractured collarbone. “He will now undergo further investigation to determine the best path for his recovery,” the team concluded.
Collarbone fracture for @MikelLandaMeana after the crash in which he was involved on the penultimate stage of #Itzulia2024.
Read more about it and join us in wishing him a speedy recovery: https://t.co/gaAuljh5ob
Photo: @GettySport pic.twitter.com/a17zvAM5Xj
— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) April 5, 2024
Israel-Premier Tech to race gravel bikes at Paris-Roubaix
Pack it up! We’re now in the timeline with gravel bikes in Roubaix!
“These are not actors… no scripted happy ending”: Peta Cavendish joins Adam Hansen in calling out “voyeuristic” TV coverage of Itzulia Basque crash
The images that came out of yesterday’s crash were chilling to the bone, but wasn’t showing them live on the broadcast a step too far? At least Ryan and I thought so, and perhaps so did a couple of broadcasters who cut the footage at the time of the crash.
And while updates on injured riders is paramount, for fans yes, but most importantly for the families and loved ones of the cyclists, the lingering camera on Roglič, Cras and Vingegaard as they lay in the concrete gutter wasn’t just horrifying, some might say it felt wrong too.
Adam Hansen, President of the riders’ union CPA, raised this issue on Twitter last evening, writing: “Out of respect of riders that have fallen in a crash and their families at home. The CPA does not support TV coverage to continue to film them while they are down. Riders have reached out to me asking if we can make this a rule and we support that. Please be mindful.”
They always repeat. But in this case, the race was neutralised for 20 minutes, and it was 20 minutes over and over of showing images of riders, and at the same time, I have pros at home messaging me. This has to be band.
— Adam Hansen (@HansenAdam) April 4, 2024
Meanwhile, Mark Cavendish’s wife Peta also shared her thoughts on social media. She said: “There is a lot of conversation around the lingering camera shots of motionless riders and endless repeats of the crashes.
“I know that some families of riders have shared that they find it helpful as it’s the only updates they receive. I hear that. The wait for information seems an eternity. However, I for one would rather not play voyeur to the fragility of a human life. A spectator to a families pain and anguish.
“I don’t believe ‘it’s just part of the sport.’ It’s something I have said many times before. It is not the same in all sports. It’s not just the distress it can cause as it’s watched in real time. But also the weight it can hold in the future.
“Remember, these are not actors. There are no retakes. No scripted happy ending… yet still the cameras roll. Uncertain as to what title time will give the sequence. I have been the wife with children in arms watching, flinching at every repeat.
“I don’t no speak for everyone. But… Let’s remember, this footage is not for information, for facts or vital sporting updates. It’s for ratings. For clicks, for views.”
That is not the point. When it’s your family member or friend laying there.
— Peta Cavendish (@petatodd) April 5, 2024
Responding to someone who argued that they would have liked close-up footage or commentary “to know that they are alive”, Peta replied: “With the greatest of respect and I truly hope my sentiment doesn’t get lost in written word…It’s not about what you would have liked. It’s about respect for the ‘lifeless rider’ and their family.”
Jonas Vingegaard had warned about the descent of Basque Country horror crash half a year ago, but organisers “never gave an answer”, claims Safe Cycling CEO
After the horror crash at Tour of Basque Country yesterday that stopped many cycling fans in their tracks, and causing a long list of terrible, unfortunate injuries in the peloton, including Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, Primož Roglič, Jay Vine, Steff Cras and more, reports have kept trickling over the night.
While no one is seriously hurt according to reports from numerous pro teams, the toll of the injuries caused to so many riders was once again laid bare as the heavy price of this beautiful and enjoyable sport.
One of the bits of information to have come out is from Safe Cycling, an organisation based in Norway that specialises in making pro cycling safer with proper signage, while also aiming to become a bridge between riders and race organisers.
🇳🇴 Markus Laerum, CEO Safe Cycling
🗣️ “The images were horrible, but above all very frustrating as Jonas Vingegaard had warned us already half a year ago about that descent. We reached out to the race organisers to discuss the topic, but never got an answer.”#Itzulia2024 pic.twitter.com/aBZpDz8WOy
— Domestique (@Domestique___) April 5, 2024
Domestique reports that its CEO Markus Laerum said: “The images were horrible, but above all very frustrating as Jonas Vingegaard had warned us already half a year ago about that descent. We reached out to the race organisers to discuss the topic, but never got an answer.”
Meanwhile, Pello Bilbao claimed that although there was a bump in the road, adding to what Euskaltel-Euskadiko rider Mikel Bizkarra had said earlier about riders being in the danger to fly off if they don’t keep their hands tightly on the handlebar.
Pello Bilbao confirms what @MikelBizkarra said earlier, there is a bump in that corner due to tree roots under asphalt and he said the peloton went too fast. Bizkarra added that if you don’t keep firmly your handlebars, it’s easy to jump in the air. Mystery solved. #Itzulia2024 https://t.co/l3xwEvVB8V
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) April 4, 2024
Bilbao said in a post-race interview: “No one wants the race to be lacklustre, so they want us to go through some flashy routes. But the point where they fell, it looked very bad. I think that we cyclists also have to reflect ourselves that perhaps we re the ones who create the danger… maybe we’ve gone too far. And well, that turn needed to be reviewed, because the asphalt is uneven due to some roots.”
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@chrisonabike True, things went back to normal once the pandemic was over. In this case, however the problems are still ongoing, and aren't likely to be resolved in the near future. If anything, they're going to get worse. Food shortages are predicted because of the effect that the heatwave has had on crops. This is bound to push prices up. The Straits of Hormuz aren't likely to reopen anytime soon and the strategic oil reserves are running low. Russia is having to import petrol because its own refineries have been badly hit, so that's even more competition for an even more scarce resource. I think that more and more people are going to see cycling as a way of cutting household bills.
I think if "grown up" cyclists * are quibbling about ASLs we've very much missed the road safety point anyway. (Not to mention the wider "better transport choices" picture). ASLs are poor-to-useless "cycling infra", even for their design intent. If the idea is "for less confident cyclists" then a design that requires that you re-position in front of the motor traffic - waiting to accelerate - seems unhelpful. Of course they're only designed to help when traffic is stopped, and you can reach the front in time and if vehicles aren't already occupying them. As we're noting here drivers frequently ignore them - whether that be deliberate, a lack of road craft, because they were concentrating on following the vehicle in front, or because the paint has rubbed off. * Aside: shouldn't cycling also be safe and accessible for kids? Or should they only be allowed to do this when accompanied by sufficient qualified adults? Or be limited to parks and otherwise being driven around by their carers? Perhaps there is another way...?
Hi Bungle, I saw you follow-up comment. I can't imaging there's a tolerance of 4 seconds on camera enforced lights, seems an odd decision - an offence is committed if a vehicle starts crossing on a red, any tolerance is discretionary. There does seem to be some odd thinking about 'advanced stop lines' where the rules relating to them are identical to a regular stop line, as explained correctly elsewhere in the Highway Code. It does seem a regular offence. Where I live it doesn't help that some of them are very faint and disappear in rain.
@ktache Not sure he's totally ruled out of the worlds yet (though I think it would be best if he doesn't), normal recovery time is about eight weeks but surgery can halve that...depending on the nature of the break he could be just about fit to ride by the time of the elite men's race, but he'll have missed a lot of training. Hopefully his managers and team will persuade him to wait until Lombardia, if not just to knock it off for the rest of the year.
@Bungle_52 The Met told me a couple of years ago when rejecting a submission that they needed a clear three seconds of red visible before they would consider it for an RLJ prosecution. I pointed out to them that this meant that at 30 mph a driver could see a light change to red from 40 metres away and still get through without sanction, or 55 m if they accelerated to 40 as most do. They just replied "them's our rules..."
@Ben Graham I have just checked the footage from my report. The driver crosses the 1st stop line 4 seconds after the light turns red. All on camera from behind the vehicle. No further action. So I assume the margin is at least 4 seconds.
Oh, and active travel funding per head (in England at least) is laughable compared to other places. Plus it is delivered intermittently. It's more like a Blue Peter contest...
Yup, I see those opportunities being missed all the time in Edinburgh. When it gets really bad, dig it all up and put it back down again how it was. Contrast with what seems to happen in NL - when things are dug up the whole thing seems to get a "let's redo this according to the current standards" treatment. They even coordinate with the utilities, so that after a refurb the street isn't immediately dug up again because of leaking pipes / we suddenly realised the new estate being planned for round the corner will want broadband etc. Pros and cons of course - you may wait longer there for changes as smaller changes may be deferred until a major redo is due. (Though in the UK case you likely wouldn't get them at all...) It seems we "can't have nice things" in the UK in part because a) we have greater motor traffic speeds/volumes spead across "streets" / within urban areas b) the funding and organisational responsibility differs. Are we in the "Sam Vimes boots" territory (being too poor to afford better products which not only save money over time but actually work)? There is long term money pressure on LAs and it seems that due to poor construction and maintenance we have to regularly pour money into (pot-)holes in the road. And it seems there's no budget to check up on or enforce adequate standards from utilities work or even private building.
Shame about the world champs defence. Speedy recovery. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/aug/30/tadej-pogacar-vuelta-a-espana-cycling-crash-hospital-stage-nine
I believe the accepted form for this kind of argument is "I know you are, you said you were, but what am I?".
15 thoughts on “Jonas Vingegaard warned about descent of Basque Country horror crash months ago, but organisers “never gave an answer”, claims Safe Cycling; Peta Cavendish joins Adam Hansen in calling out “voyeuristic” filming of crashed riders + more on the live blog”
Still no rerun or highlights
Still no rerun or highlights of stage 4 on Discovery. I missed yesterday’s action and still have no idea who won the stage
No one won the stage as there
No one won the stage as there was no contest after the accident.
Meintjes won after they let
Meintjes won after they let the break contest the final kilometres. I think Discovery made the right decision to pull the episode, given the distateful camera coverage
I saw Eurosport had a 7
I saw Eurosport had a 7 minutes highlights package on You tube. Coverage was only of the last 3km (ish) and only made verbal reference to the fact there had been a crash because of the neutralised stage.
lesterama wrote:
I agree, but today they started the coverage with “here’s what happened yesterday” showing some fairly graphic footage of the crash and the aftermath. I guess they thought it was OK because by that time knew that nobody was killed or atrociously injured, but it still felt pretty voyeuristic and unnecessary.
“You should talk to drivers
“You should talk to drivers about their behaviour instead of reporting them”
https://www.phtm.co.uk/news/6604/phtm-news/speeding-gloucester-cabbie-killed-pedestrian-minutes-after-police-warned-him-but-let-him-off
Judge Lowe said he would get
Judge Lowe said he would get ‘significant’ credit and a shorter sentence for pleading guilty rather than having a trial
Oh dear! I feel something bad is about to happen
Well worth a read and a
Well worth a read and a listeb:
https://canvas-story.bbcrewind.co.uk/chasingspeed/
Chasing Speed
Jamie Morris’ younger brother Sammy was killed in a car crash with his friend Lewis, who was driving at speeds that have been described as insane.
This is Jamie’s story.
Sadly,the coverage of injured
Sadly,the coverage of injured riders is nothing new.
It has been part of the tv coverage for years, so don’t quite understand the uproar regarding yesterday’s crash. Unless, only those at the top of the sport matter in these incidents but those at the back aren’t worthy of the same outcry.
Given Peta’s own observation
Given Peta’s own observation “that some families of riders have shared that they find it helpful as it’s the only updates they receive” is there any logical solution to coverage of crashes other than that people who don’t want to watch turn it off? Or is there some way to provide a private video feed so only friends and family can see how bad (or hopefully not) the injuries after a crash?
cmedred wrote:
Why not just every rider has an emergency contact number and the DS/soigneur/mechanic/commisaire makes a call to give them news if they go down? Obviously they have other jobs to do but in a WT race there are enough staff around to make that doable.
Once again cycling lagging
Once again cycling lagging behind other sports, particularly motorsport which tends to move coverage away, and not show endless replays until the condition of drivers is known.
Saying that, I recall a journalist saying that the latin media have no issues showing grizzly scenes……Which explains why Spanish owned (until recently) MotoGP/WSBK will often show endless replays of accidents, despite protestations from many in the media.
And remembering the crash of Ayrton Senna at Imola in May 1994; the Italian broadcaster hovered over him whilst he received treatment – fortunately, the BBC decided to cut away as they had their own team there.
The worst thing by far I’ve
The worst thing by far I’ve ever seen in cycling coverage was when poor Wouter Weylandt was killed in the Giro in 2011; the camera zoomed in on him as he lay on the road and for a moment he looked just stunned, then blood started welling out from under his helmet and in that instant one knew he was dead. I’d definitely support cameras/directors instantly cutting away from crashes rather than ever see that again, it was the stuff of nightmares.
We watched the MotoGP when
We watched the MotoGP when Simoncelli crashed, foolishly watched the crash in slow mo on the sky box, wish we hadn’t.
Did you ever see Jeremy
Did you see Jeremy McWilliams MotoGP crash back in the late 90s when another rider moved over and hit his front brake lever while going flat out down the straight and he went over the bars? If i remember correctly he slid the rest of the way down the straight but amazingly got up and walked away.