Benoot and Plugge open attack on UCI after death Furrer: "We go back 20, 30 years in time"

After the death of 18-year-old Muriel Furrer at the World Cycling Championships in Zurich, the debate about safety in the peloton has reopened. Earlier, Juan Ayuso was hard on the UCI and now Tiesj Benoot has also raised his voice about the incident and how it could have been prevented.

The details regarding the fatal accident are still unclear, but what is certain is that Furrer lived alone next to the road for a long time, a very long time. And that while plenty of technology is already available to report the crash. "For example, Garmin has a crash detection system," Tiesj Benoot told Het Laatste Nieuws. "I have already had the opportunity to see that it works well for myself. We once had our bikes parked against a wall when we went for a coffee. One of those bikes fell over, and an alarm signal was sent immediately."

These techniques are still under development. For example, some devices require a connection to a phone or even a helicopter. But the Belgian of Visma | Lease a Bike doesn't want to use that as an excuse. "Technology cannot be the problem. With everything that exists, locating a person who has crashed should be possible. We already race with a transponder under the saddle that measures time differences. It seems like only a small step to use that to track someone's exact location as well."

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"If you can save one human life with technology, it's worth it"

For now, cycling sees no progression in the use of new technology. Indeed, the UCI wants to return to the days when devices were unnecessary. Thus, the cycling federation intends to encourage an unpredictable "natural" sport. "I get that," the Belgian responded. "But some things are more important. If the focus is always on spectacle, we are doing Roman Games. If the UCI is afraid of data being passed on, they should develop their neutral system, then they can monitor it themselves." That may cost a lot of money, but that shouldn't be a factor, according to Benoot. "When I see how much we are giving up to the UCI, it has plenty of money."

Several years ago, the demand for racing without earpieces was still quite loud, as was the demand for it in the peloton. After years of testing, the result is clear. "I have to be honest. I also used to think that without earpieces, you could race more freely and think more tactically, but that's not true. Without earpieces, we are often so badly informed about the race situation that we just don't know what to do. That has nothing to do with tactics anymore and doesn't necessarily make for better racing. And vice versa: are one-day races with earpieces that boring? I think a lot of classics are worth watching. I think spectacle is an empty argument from the UCI."

Earpieces can also play a crucial role in terms of safety. Benoot thinks the race itself would not have become safer if people had used earpieces, but: "In the case of that girl: maybe she could have asked for help, or maybe a colleague could have reported that something had happened. Now, none of that was possible. Aren't those enough reasons to always use earpieces? It is quite simple: what happened in Zurich is a particular case. But it is always worth it if you can save one human life by enabling technology. No matter what disadvantages it might bring."

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Plugge wants progression, not regression: "The UCI is falling way behind"

Richard Plugge, general manager of Benoot's team, is also worried about the UCI's attitude. He sees every major sport moving forward, but cycling, he says, needs to catch up. "At World Championships, just look at the soccer World Championship, innovations are introduced. And at the cycling World Championships, we go 20, 30 years back in time," he told Het Nieuwsblad. "And then suddenly we are riding without earpieces, nobody knows who is racing, and we are riding with fewer riders per team. Everything goes back in time, while you would expect the World Championship to be an example of innovation within our sport. Only the UCI continues to fall way behind in this."

Like his Belgian pupil, the general manager of Visma | Lease a Bike sees no benefit in the absence of earpieces. They make the race safer. "Because you can inform people about dangerous points, and if something has happened. Other riders can tell the team leader that someone has crashed. It's a form of communication, and in emergencies, you always want to be able to communicate. You shouldn't take that away if that opportunity is there."

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