Awful News From Gent-Wevelgem Race

[DRM]

Truly sad news, it seems he had been involved in a crash with other riders, the moto tried to avoid them, but the rider fell with the moto falling on Antoine who was laid in the road, reports say four others have received an organ donation from him.
I think that there was too many motos weaving through the race, surely some action needs to be taken to avoid this kind of thing now.

 

[steveindenmark]

There is one thing filming the action. But the riders and públics safety must be made paramount.

Very sad. RIP

 

[saoirse50]

View: https://youtu.be/TsnZBUkjsx4

 

[DRM]

The video says it all, enough is enough, IIRC Peter Sagan was fined for bringing cycling into disrepute, all because he was furious for being knocked off, seems like priorities are a bit skewed somewhere.

 

[HarryTheDog]

Terrible news, only 26 yrears old, I wonder if drones might be a safer solution or more dangerous, with enclosed blades or something, at least they would be lighter than a car or motorbike in a collision.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

As @deptfordmarmoset has already pointed out there are a whole array of motos present at races, not only TV motos. Limiting the number of motos may be one area which can be explored but it isn't the only thing which can be done, and the purpose of some of the motos is rider safety. Without them there may be more incidents.

A terrible thing to happen.

 

[Toshiba Boy]

Very sad news. RIP.

 

[PeteXXX]

I heard this on Sky this morning. Very sad news indeed.
Having watched the huge cavalcade of motorbikes and cars that precede, and follow, first hand on the Ladies Tour last summer in Oundle and Kettering, it is no surprise that tragedies like this occur.

RIP

 

[Rasmus]

Terrible news, only 26 yrears old, I wonder if drones might be a safer solution or more dangerous, with enclosed blades or something, at least they would be lighter than a car or motorbike in a collision.

Drones have their own risks - just ask Marcel Hirscher.

 

[Smokin Joe]

We don't know yet if it was a TV or press motorcycle, Deptfordmarmoset suggests it could have been a commissaire on the back of the bike. I have to say I feel for the motorcyclist as well as the family of the rider, having done a few motorcycle marshall duties before the advent of the National Escort Group I know how tough and potentially dangerous it is to officiate in a cycle race on a motorcycle. You need eyes in the back of your head and you can't relax for a second, racing is very unpredictable and dangerous and a bunch moving at a relatively sedate pace in a steady group can explode into action in an instant if an attack goes or someone puts the hammer down. It only takes a touch of wheels among the riders to suddenly be confronted with bodies all over the road, other riders hit them and it is easy to become tangled up yourself if you are not on your wits.

Maybe there's a better way of doing it, and certainly the number of media bikes should be controlled, but there will always be risks.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Drones have their own risks - just ask Marcel Hirscher.

Point taken but Marcel's still skiing.

Drones are a rapidly evolving technology. The media demands could be satisfied providing a safe working protocol was in place. I'd guess that they'd have to remain in sight of the ''pilot'' so motorbikes might still be useful but it would be an advantage if they didn't feel obliged to get as close to the heat of the action as they are now.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

We don't know yet if it was a TV or press motorcycle, Deptfordmarmoset suggests it could have been a commissaire on the back of the bike. I have to say I feel for the motorcyclist as well as the family of the rider, having done a few motorcycle marshall duties before the advent of the National Escort Group I know how tough and potentially dangerous it is to officiate in a cycle race on a motorcycle. You need eyes in the back of your head and you can't relax for a second, racing is very unpredictable and dangerous and a bunch moving at a relatively sedate pace in a steady group can explode into action in an instant if an attack goes or someone puts the hammer down. It only takes a touch of wheels among the riders to suddenly be confronted with bodies all over the road, other riders hit them and it is easy to become tangled up yourself if you are not on your wits.

Maybe there's a better way of doing it, and certainly the number of media bikes should be controlled, but there will always be risks.

I was only going from the road.cc version, which I linked to the quote above.

 

[Rasmus]

Risks cannot and will not be eliminated from cycle racing.

However, the significant increase in rider-car/moto collisions in the last year means "something" needs to be done. I don't know what that something is, but I hope that everyone, UCI/organizers/press/service crews/riders, sit down together and come up with a way forward.

 

[ColinJ]

There was a helicopter shot of the peloton coming in to Barcelona on the final stage of the Tour of Catalunya at the weekend. Fast forward to about 18:06 in the video below and watch for the motorbike coming up on the RHS of the bunch as they pass under the overpass. Carlton Kirkby commented then that the closing speed was ridiculous. If the riders had swung to the right at that moment there could have been carnage ...

 

[mjr]

Jose Been says it was an experienced moto pilot and tragic accident at http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/35913908