Today's release of a set of safety proposals by the Cyclistes Professionels Associés (CPA), the professional riders’ association, now puts the responsibility for change squarely on the shoulders of the UCI, whose management committee is meeting this week in Lausanne for two days of wide-ranging discussions.
Some of the peloton's most vocal advocates for rider safety are hoping they'll soon see the sport's governing body take a more active role in ensuring rider safety by adopting some, if not all, of the CPA's proposals.
Last month at the Tour of California, Bernhard Eisel, the Dimension Data rider who has frequently called for more rider unity in demanding change, told Cyclingnews that current talks between the stakeholders involved have been positive.
ADVERTISEMENT
“There's been good communication, good talks between the riders and the UCI and the CPA happening at the moment,” he said. “It's still ongoing, so the press release is not written yet. Wait and see. I'm still pushing for it and we're getting there. That's the only thing we can say here at the moment.”
An alarming string of incidents over the past couple of years involving collisions between riders and vehicles has intensified calls for the UCI to take more responsibility for creating a safer environment for the peloton, coming to a crescendo most recently with the tragic death of Antoine Demoitié, who died from injuries suffered when he was struck by a race moto in Gent-Wevelgem while he lay on the ground following a crash. Lotto Soudal rider Stig Broeckx is currently in a coma after two motorbikes caused a huge crash at the Belgium Tour last weekend.
Following Demoitié's death, UCI President Brian Cookson released a statement saying that the governing body has been “working over the past months with all stakeholders on revised protocols and regulations regarding all aspects of road racing, and particularly the conduct of race vehicles, as a matter of continual review.”
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://ift.tt/1XplzKe
No comments:
Post a Comment