Cycling: Christian Prudhomme pleads for "more responsible behavior of runners, bikes that go slower and the necessary road improvements"
On the eve of the Paris-Roubaix women, to ensure the safety of cyclists, Christian Prudhomme, cycling boss at ASO, pleads for “more responsible behavior of riders, bikes that go slower and the necessary road improvements”. He was the guest of France Bleu Nord on Friday April 5.
The 121st edition of Paris-Roubaix is being held this Sunday for men. “Paris-Roubaix is an exceptional race, it’s the queen of the classics, describes Christian Prudhomme. It’s also a race that can always hold surprises. Everything is being done to ensure that it happens in the best conditions in the current climate and especially after yesterday’s very serious fall obviously at the Tour of the Basque Country which is on everyone’s minds.”
Thursday, during the Tour of the Basque Country, several riders fell heavily. “Very clearly, there is an exponential increase in speed in recent years, it is primarily due to the equipment which is ultra-efficient, it is both fascinating and frightening, analyzes Christian Prudhomme. The faster it goes, the greater the risk of accidents.”
According to him, the material must be questioned. “Every year, the gears increase [plus les braquets sont grands, plus les coureurs vont vite]there has been the introduction of disc brakes in recent years which are very efficient but which mean that riders brake later and therefore we continue to go faster for longer”, relates Christian Prudhomme. “Measures can be taken fairly quickly, such as limiting gear ratios,” he believes.
Other tools used during races could also disrupt runners, according to him: “There is always the debate about earpieces, which some say are a safety tool and others say the exact opposite, there are the meters that runners keep looking at all the time.”
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