While Dutch analyst Zonneveld criticizes teams that continued in Bessèges, organizers avoid issue: "Teams are demanding more than we can handle"

The Star of Bessèges ended Sunday, but discussions surrounding the French stage race will continue for a long time. After three stages full of unsafe situations, half the peloton quit. Dutch analyst Thijs Zonneveld felt frustrated and, as sporting director of BEAT Cycling, has a remarkable perspective. Meanwhile, the organization still feels that not much could have been changed.

In his podcast In het Wiel, Zonneveld responds to the debacle of the French stage race. Multiple incidents with cars on the course caused chaos. Eight teams dropped out, but others continued to ride, including a handful of WorldTour teams. "As far as I'm concerned, you then start to lose the right to comment on safety in the coming time if you send your riders on a course where the organization cannot guarantee their safety."

"And the French teams continue anyway," the former rider added. "I do often find the French teams a problem. I find that recurring, also with the ASO and so on." The (pro-)continental teams continued to ride, except for Tietema Unibet Rockets. "But I think the big French teams have a bigger responsibility here. Such a Cofidis, an Arkéa ... Come on guys."

Read more below the photo!

Maxim Van Gils, after his fall in the Star of Bessèges, was fortunately able to get back on his bike.

UCI also faces criticism: "Come on, end of the race"

With the CPA, the riders' union, a body has been created to support riders in such cases. However, it becomes problematic when the riders are not on the same page. "Very awkward, very awkward. Half the peloton gets off, the other half continues." But the biggest fault lies with the organization, argues Zonneveld. "Riders get a yellow card if they don't do something right. And such an organization, which lets cars drive straight into the peloton, what will we do about that?"

"It's also a stupid signal you send out as an organizer and UCI commissioner, right? Come on, end of the race," argues the sports director of BEAT Cycling, who, in his new position, would have taken his riders out of the race immediately. "The safety of your riders is paramount. If the next day one of your riders gets hit by a car, you can never look at yourself in the mirror again, can you?"

Read more below the photo!

The organization began talking with the riders after the incident in stage 3.

Organization: "We can't do everything"

The organization still does not seem to want to take the blame. "I think next week we will start thinking clearly about what will happen next," organizer Claudine Fangille told Cyclism'Actu. "It's true that on Friday I told myself: 'You stop with everything, there's no point in restarting.' Because if we understand correctly, the teams are demanding more than we can handle."

Meanwhile, the Frenchwoman criticizes the riders who abandoned the race. In the final stages, rain obstructed the race, and the remaining peloton suffered terrible conditions. "I can say that the riders still there yesterday were real fighters," she says.

At DirectVélo, the race director elaborated further on the situation. She expressed that the riders' expectations should be lower because the course is simply not at the level of the Tour de France. "The riders must understand that it is not easy for the organizers. Apart from ASO, who is capable of completely closing the roads? We are not capable of doing it. We are holding everything we can."

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