The 2022 race season is nearing its end, but the calls from the UCI (International Cycling Union) for action against dangerous race courses show no sign of abating, and a recent CRO race was the subject of criticism.

The Croatian race's sixth stage, a very technical section of the last 6 km into downtown Zagreb, included various unfenced sections that weaved through small no-parking bollards set up for spectators and sidewalks.

There were also traffic islands and tram sections built into the semi-paved roads, with the danger of tires falling onto the narrow tram tracks. [But stage 4 winner Axel Laurens (B&B Hotels-KTM) crashed heavily in an unrelated accident, and after the peloton shattered in a very tricky finale, Elia Viviani (Ineos Grenadiers) won from a 14-man group No one could dispute the sprint.

However, former athlete and Jumbo Visma Jos van Emden highlighted the risks and lack of countermeasures to these seemingly perennial problems.

"Again, the UCI is the UCI. Not only today (Sunday), but three of the six stages were well over the limit. David Lapartient, what do you think?" Van Emden tweeted.

He then added a comment that this would be his first and last participation in the race.

Van Emden was responding to another tweet by former sport director and former rider Johan Bruyneel: "It's great that the UCI is making rider safety one of their priorities these days. Look at the finish circuit of the final stage of the Tour of Croatia today, WTF?"

Another retired rider, Rory Sutherland, was similarly skeptical of the improvements seen in recent years, saying: "Nothing has changed since I quit racing 2 years ago. Nothing has changed since I stopped racing two years ago. Is this what you want?"

As in other years, rider safety has been a recurring issue this season, and in the Vuelta a Burgos, Van Emden's teammate David Decker crashed after hitting a speed bump in the last kilometer of the final stage a horrific accident.

The Tour de Pollogne, a UCI World Tour race, also saw several pileups. The most notable incident occurred on stage 5. The course took a sharp turn and suddenly narrowed in the last kilometer.

The Tour of Saudi Arabia led to a letter from the riders' union to the UCI complaining about safety issues.

The first concerned the gravel section at the back of the stage, which was apparently littered with hard obstacles.

Rider safety has become an increasingly prominent issue in recent years, with a string of accidents, including Fabio Jacobsen's life-threatening crash at the 2020 Tour de Pollogne, prompting calls for action from governing bodies The UCI will update its safety protocols and added specifications to the men's and women's WorldTour and men's Pro Series races.

Although CRO races are Category 1, third-level races, they still have to follow the UCI's safety guidelines. The question shows no sign of abating.