In the wake of the fatal Gent-Wevelgem accident that claimed the life Antoine Demoitié, Marcel Kittel has penned an open on the current state of rider safety in professional cycling. The letter from the Etixx-Quick Step rider was posted on his Facebook page.
Demoitié was one of several riders to crash in Gent-Wevelgem as the race skirted through France with 115km left in the day. The 25-year-old was struck as he lay on the ground by a race motorbike attempting to avoid the crash. He was then taken to a hospital in Ypres, before being transferred to the intensive care unit of the university hospital in Lille.
Professional Cyclists Association (CPA) President Gianni Bugno has called for improved safety standards following the accident while UCI president Brian Cookson said the Belgian "will be truly missed" and the governing body will work with authorities during the investigation into Demoitié's death. Numerous riders, teammates and friends have all paid tribute to Demoitié.
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Below is an edited version of Marcel Kittel's open letter.
'A comment on safety in professional cycling'
With the death of Antoine Demoitie we reached a new and very sad low point in the history of cycling and safety. Many people say it's part of our job to take risk and that crashes are part of this sport. And I agree. But not completely. Every rider that gets injured, because of a crash that he is not responsible for, is one too much. There is a difference between riders crashing in the last hectic kilometres of a race, fighting for the right wheel before the sprint and riders crashing because of unsafe road furniture, reckless driving of motorbikes or cars, extreme weather conditions and unsafe race routes.
- Riders, teammates and friends pay tribute to Antoine Demoitie
- Wanty-Groupe Gobert withdraw from Driedaagse De Panne after death of Demoitie
- De Panne organisers focus on safety after death of Demoitie
- Demoitie's fatal crash 'will stay with me for a long, long time' says Van der Schueren
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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