Groupama-FDJ team manager Marc Madiot has again called for race radios, power metres and GPS bike computers to be banned in competition, as a way to slow the evolution of cycling and so perhaps make the sport become safer.
Former French sprinter Nacer Bouhanni this week revealed the trauma and fear of crashing that led to his retirement from the sport while speaking to L’Equipe for the online documentary ‘Crash, peloton sous tension‘, which explores the mental and physical effects of crashes in cycling.
Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet also spoke to L’Equipe, suggesting cycling should copy other sports and lower speeds by imposing the use of slower tyres. Madiot also joined the debate, reiterating his long-standing beliefs on race safety to L’Equipe.
The UCI have confirmed a gear restriction test event later in the season, aimed at slowing the maximum speeds in races and will impose a 400mm handlebar width, while the SafeR project has introduced other measures and now monitors crashes and is working to improve race safety.
This week the Tour de Suisse remembered Gino Mader, who died on a mountain descent two years ago. However crashes continue to happen, with the increase in race speed and bike technology considered a key factor.
Madiot spoke to L’Equipe about his long standing belief to reduce the speed of the peloton by ending the way riders are “remote-controlled” from their team cars. Riders would be forced to watch out for any dangers on the road and manage their combined actions, rather than constantly being told to move to the front for key points of the race by their teams.
Most teams and riders are in favour of race radios for safety reasons but Madiot believes too much communication is a problem.
“There are deaths, there will inevitably be more, and you’ll see, we’ll start racing again the next day,” Madiot told L’Equipe, highlighting the sport’s ‘the show must go on’ attitude.
“I think we need to look into slowing down the evolution of cycling. It’s obvious, we need to fight for it,” Madiot said.
“There are very simple solutions to take. Get rid of race radios, cover-up powermetres, and ban GPS. If you do all that, there will be less dangers and fewer people taking risks at the same time.”
“We are constantly in contact with the riders, through the radio, which is a kind of telephone, the GPS and the power metres. The rider, I’m sorry to say, is constantly being remotely controlled.
“We tell them: ‘Watch out, danger, we’re going through a village, there are speed bumps and roundabouts. You have to be in front.’ But there isn’t room for everyone in front! We’re going in the direction of going faster to be in front of the others.”