The second edition of the Tour Feminin des Pyrenees came to an abrupt halt on Sunday after the UCI intervened and cancelled the event. This followed the withdrawal of several teams over safety concerns. The riders were concerned over the race being very disorganized, resulting in cars on the course, pedestrians walking across the road, and parked vehicles creating very sketchy conditions for the cyclists.
Disastrous first stage of Tour Feminin des Pyrenees
After the first stage on Friday, there was a series of collisions and crashes which plagued the stage race. One rider suffered a fractured nose, while several others had to go to hospital.. A car was ont the course in the final kilometre of the race. Riders had to avoid cars and people on the narrow course.
The UCI has stopped the CIC-Tour Féminin Pyrénées for safety’s sake
The following stage on Saturday wasn’t any better. Of the 95 km, the majority of the race was neutralized due to concerns over heavy traffic on the course. Ultimately Marta Cavalli (FDJ-Suez) won the stage, which had the actual racing only begin at the bottom of the Hautacam.
What the actual fuck..?! 🤯🤬 #TourPyrenees pic.twitter.com/MXtfg3DYrp
— Mikkel Condé v2.0 (@mrconde) June 9, 2023
Following the withdrawals of the teams on Sunday morning, and the UCI intervention, the race director, Pascal Baudron spoke to La Nouvelle République des Pyrénées.
“Even Marion Clignet and Elisabeth Chevanne-Brache say that they are sawing off the branch on which they are sitting,” Baudron said. “The day when there will be no more race, they may cry and that is what will happen. Quite honestly, I tell myself that it is not worth organizing a race to see all those months of effort ruined for the whims of spoiled children, and I’m thinking of all the volunteers who are mobilizing. To be clear, it’s catastrophic for morale.”
Requests of riders at Tour Feminin des Pyrenees are “unacceptable”
He then went on to say that the women should be more realistic, or something.
“What is happening is that the girls have requirements that are not in line with their level. They imagine that they are doing the Tour de France and that all the roads must be closed, that everything must be locked. But in France, you cannot do that,” he said in a statement. “On Saturday, the president of the jury and the main referee went to see the girls, saying that their requests were unacceptable
17 teams voted against continuing the…
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