A very sad birthday. One year ago today, on June 16, 2023, Gino Mäder died after seriously falling in a descent on the Tour de Suisse, at the age of 26. The organizers paid tribute to the late Swiss runner during this 2024 edition, which ends this Sunday June 16.
The tragedy shook the peloton, a few days before the start of the Tour de France, so much so that the International Cycling Union (UCI) announced the creation of SafeR, a system responsible for working on the safety of riders, and Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) had installed sound totems and banners in certain dangerous places, also placing protective mattresses in the risky descent of the Col de la Loze.
Some people have after-effects and do not hide pressing the brake harder. The American Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), witness to Mäder’s tragic fall, revealed last January at Bike having thought about stopping his career and still fearing the descents.
The UCI has just taken measures
The tragedy did not, unfortunately, calm the peloton. You only have to look at the dozens of crashes since the start of the season, in the Basque Country, in Coupe de France events or more recently at the Critérium du Dauphiné. Impressive accidents which, this time, pushed the UCI to react.
On Wednesday June 12, the body announced the introduction of a series of measures aimed at protecting runners. The first: the introduction of a system of yellow cards at 1er August 2024 for any offense likely to hinder the safety of professional cyclists. The accumulation of warnings may result in sanctions ranging from seven to thirty days of suspension.
The UCI has also chosen to restrict the wearing and use of earbuds, which can “constitute for the riders both a source of distraction, a physical danger due to the fact that the radio units are installed on their backs, and represent a risk when a large number of teams simultaneously ask their riders to get back on at the head of the race ». The body could, in the future, limit their use to two riders per team.
In order to reduce the pressure during sprint finishes, the UCI has also revised the three kilometer rule, which allows a rider who suffers a fall or a technical incident to be classified in the same time of the group where he was before being delayed. “The organizer who requests it may, if justified, obtain an extension of the distance to be taken into account, which may be increased to a maximum of five kilometers”it is written.
A press release which also proposes to apply the three-second rule, introduced in 2018, to all pelotons, “with the sole exception of clearly established escapes”. An idea supposed relieve pressure on riders not directly involved in the sprint and allow them to leave some margin with the front of the sprint”.
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“All these changes will be subject to testing periods, during future races and until the end of the season, in collaboration with stakeholders, before being finalized and implemented”specifies the UCI.
