Tour de France'Do we wait for a death?' UCI remains silent
"We're placing feed zones on flat, fast stretches where riders are doing 60 kph," Philippe Mauduit, performance director at Groupama-FDJ, told Reuters on Friday before the start of the 13th stage.
"It's so dangerous. A rider trying to grab a musette (feed bag) can break a finger or crash. And if he brakes too much, he's dropped - and in that group speed, he's not coming back."
French rider Bryan Coquard broke a finger in Thursday's 12th stage as he attempted to grab his feed bag and said he would abandon the race after Friday's individual time trial.
The growing risk, particularly under extreme weather conditions, has prompted a reevaluation of race feeding protocols among teams and organisers. "In 35°C heat, this isn't a luxury. It's vital," Mauduit said. "Do we need to wait for someone to die on Mont Ventoux before we act?"
Tour organisers (ASO) and the International Cycling Union (UCI) were not immediately available for comment. One key complaint is the placement of feed zones on long straightaways instead of safer, slower segments like slight uphills or post-town exits. Mauduit cited several recent crashes and injuries directly linked to chaotic feeding zones.
"There have been a lot of broken collarbones and scaphoid fractures this season. We're putting riders in no-win scenarios," he said. In response, a coalition of sports directors formed after the Criterium du Dauphine in June presented proposed reforms to the UCI, ASO, and the AIGCP (international organisation of professional groups).
Among the changes already accepted is the reinstatement of feeding on categorised climbs.
"Thankfully, we can now feed at the foot of climbs," Mauduit said. "The race jury and (Tour racing director) Thierry Gouvenou responded quickly. But it's not enough." Tom Southam, sports director at EF Education-EasyPost, echoed many of these concerns while also acknowledging the complexity of the issue.
"The rules changed this year, and it's no longer us who decide where feeds go," Southam said. "Now you've got 23 teams vying for space in the same spot. That massively increases pressure. Even if we placed them ourselves, it wouldn't be massively different on a flat 120-km day."
While Southam credited organisers for doing the best they could, he also advocated for more input from experienced team personnel.
"They should involve a DS (sports director) who knows the terrain — you need parking for 23 teams, a slight uphill, and slower sections. Other races just call a local DS and say, 'Can you help us?' It works."
The increasing heat across stages is another urgent concern. "The Tour is just getting hotter," Southam noted. "We had 9 or 10 planned hand-up spots yesterday plus the cars, so we were fine. But it's becoming a huge factor. "If we keep racing in July, we need to start stages earlier — not 1 p.m. If the race finishes at 5:30 instead of 4:30 on TV, so be it. Something has to change."
"We're not asking for chaos," Mauduit concluded. "Just smarter placement. If we want riders to give a show, let's at least give them the means to do it - safely."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
17 minutes ago
- Express Tribune
At least 10 dead, 33 missing after flash floods in China's Gansu province
A drone view shows flooded houses and fish farms after days of heavy rainfall, in Qingyuan, Guangdong province, China August 8, 2025. PHOTO:REUTERS Listen to article Ten people are dead and 33 missing after flash floods and mudslides in northwest China's Gansu province, state media reported Friday, the latest in a series of lethal weather events to hit the country. Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer, when some regions experience heavy rain while others bake in searing heat. Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered "utmost effort" in rescuing the missing people on Friday, state broadcaster CCTV said. Due to the "frequent occurrence of extreme weather", Xi ordered all regions to "resolutely overcome complacency" and strengthen efforts to identify risks, the broadcaster added. Read More: NDMA flags looming flood threat From August 7, "continuous heavy rain" in Gansu triggered flash floods, with the death toll on Friday afternoon standing at 10, CCTV said. Local authorities had issued the highest-level emergency warning for flash floods overnight. A video shared by the Communist Party-backed People's Daily showed more than a dozen rescuers clinging to a rope as they pushed through torrents of mud, while photos posted by Gansu's government showed roads covered in silt and large stones. Heavy rains trapped 4,000 people living in the mountainous Xinglong area and pushed garbage into roads, CCTV reported earlier Friday. Three people were missing after a mudslide in Maliantan village, it said. Footage shared by Chinese fire authorities on Weibo showed rescuers in Maliantan guiding people through rushing grey water. Beijing's top economic planner said it was allocating 100 million yuan ($14 million) towards disaster relief in Gansu. Local weather authorities at midday on Friday predicted more rain in some areas, including near the Yellow River -- China's second-biggest waterway. The country's south has also experienced torrential downpours this week. Also Read: Chinese expertise to fuel dam development CCTV reported Friday that all seven people missing after a landslide in Guangdong province had been killed. Ten of thousands of people were evacuated across Guangdong this week, with heavy rains flooding residential neighbourhoods and shops. The government has also allocated 100 million yuan toward recovery efforts there, the National Development and Reform Commission said. Last month, heavy rains in northern Beijing killed 44 people, with the capital's rural suburbs hit the hardest. A landslide in a village in Hebei province, which encircles Beijing, killed another eight people. Scientists warn the intensity and frequency of global extreme weather events will increase as the planet continues to heat up because of fossil fuel emissions. China is the world's biggest emitter, but it is also a global renewable energy powerhouse that aims to make its massive economy carbon-neutral by 2060.
Business Recorder
14 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Massive French wildfire now contained, 16,000 hectares affected, local authorities say
SAINT-LAURENT-DE-LA-CABRERISSE: A massive wildfire that has scorched through 16,000 hectares (39,537 acres) of forest and villages in southern France since Tuesday has now been contained, local authorities said on Thursday. Firefighters will remain deployed in the area in the coming days to secure the site and prevent flare-ups, they added in a statement. Residents affected by the blaze are still barred from returning to their homes without official clearance, as many roads remain closed and potentially hazardous due to uninspected damage and fallen power lines. France's biggest wildfire in nearly eight decades has killed a woman whom officials said had disregarded evacuation orders, made 18 injuries, including 16 firefighters. The blaze destroyed 36 houses, damaged 20 others, and forced some 2,000 residents and holidaymakers to flee the area. France battles largest wildfire in decades, one person killed At the height of the crisis, approximately 5,000 households lost power, and as of Thursday evening, around 1,500 homes were still without electricity, local authorities said. 'We don't have water, internet and electricity anymore. We have nothing. It's the apocalypse,' said resident and farmer Alain Reneau, who lives in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, a village hit hard by the fire. 'We saved the house, but we had to fight the whole night, for two days.' Plumes of smoke rose over the forest area in the Aude region. Drone footage showed swathes of charred earth after the fire swept across an area one-and-a-half times the size of Paris. The blaze, not far from the border with Spain and the Mediterranean Sea, has spread unusually rapidly, fanned by strong winds and very dry vegetation, following months of drought in the area. 'The fire's progression is slowing down, but we are still dealing with an active fire,' the region's deputy prefect, Remi Recio, told reporters. 'Compared to yesterday, the progression has significantly decreased because the weather conditions have changed, notably the wind direction,' Le Monde newspaper quoted Recio as saying. Close to 2,000 firefighters were on the ground to fight any flare-ups. The territory the wildfire has gone through around 16,000 hectares, local authorities said in their last update on Thursday evening, while French media reported the affected area to be around 17,000 hectares (40,000 acres). 'The battle isn't over yet, the fire could reignite with greater force,' Prefect Christian Pouget said earlier. 'Consequence of climate change' Environment Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said the fire was the biggest one France has experienced since 1949. 'This is a wildfire that is a consequence of climate change, of drought in this region,' she told France Info radio. An investigation is under way to identify the cause of the blaze. 'Never in my life (have I seen) fires like this,' 77-year-old retiree Simon Gomez said in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse. Scientists say the Mediterranean region's hotter, drier summers put it at high risk of wildfires. France's weather office has warned of a new heatwave starting in other parts of southern France on Friday and due to last several days. Local winemakers and mayors are also blaming the loss of vineyards for the fire's rapid spread. 'We're at war, but also, we will win the war,' said Xavier Guille, a local vinyard owner who was helping firefighters battle the blaze. Guille lost woodland to the fire but his vineyard was unharmed. 'My in-laws lost their home in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, it was one of the first homes that burned.'
Express Tribune
18 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Sinner ready for Cincinnati title defence
Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates with the trophy after winning the Wimbledon men's final against Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in London. (file photo) REUTERS World number one Jannik Sinner said he had taken the right decision by opting for a long break following his Wimbledon triumph, and the recharged Italian is ready to fire at the Cincinnati Open where he will defend his title. The 23-year-old lost a marathon French Open final to rival Carlos Alcaraz in June before gaining revenge over the Spaniard at the All England Club last month to secure his fourth Grand Slam title overall and second of a difficult season in which he served a short ban for an inadvertent doping offence. Sinner opted to prioritise his health following that victory and will return after a near month-long absence from the circuit when he takes to the court over the weekend in Cincinnati after getting a first-round bye. "The body and mind need to recover and need to understand what happened," Sinner told reporters in Ohio on Wednesday as he explained his scheduling. "I'm very happy I took some time off, seeing my family and friends and very important people I have around. In the past, I made some mistakes sometimes, starting too early at times. "I had conversations with the whole team, trying to understand what's best. When you win big titles, they're very special moments and then you have to leave them." Sinner sported a protective sleeve on his right elbow when he practised with Christopher Eubanks on Wednesday, sparking concerns that he was still feeling the effects of an injury sustained during his title run at Wimbledon. The Italian said, however, that he was only using it as it gave him more stability. "The elbow is good. Today was the first time that I put the sleeve on because I liked the feeling of the sleeve," he said. "The impact with the ball is slightly more stable and I liked it at Wimbledon. I had to see how it is when it's very hot and humid because it's a bit different. "It's going to be something I take into consideration, but I really love the feeling of pure striking." The Cincinnati tournament is a tune-up event for the U.S. Open that runs from August 23 to September 7.
