Back one day earlier, on the opening stage of the CIC Tour Féminin International des Pyrenees. On Friday, what was supposed to be a flat day for the 136 professional women racers turned into a minefield of danger. The closed course allowed indiscriminate vehicles to move toward the peloton, the roads in front of the finish line were littered with parked cars and trucks, and pedestrians were allowed to arbitrarily move back and forth across the playing field. Athletes were forced to avoid traffic in the last 2 km.
While a dangerous outcome could have been avoided in the moment, lingering concerns and safety questions sparked a storm of overnight negotiations led by Adam Hansen, president of the Cyclist Professionals Association (CPA). The head of the riders' union held late-night negotiations with the teams, UCI officials, and race organizers, who said organizers would take "different measures" for the second stage, namely bringing in additional police bikes to sweep the course and eliminate hazards.
"At 11:30 PM, I finally got to talk to everyone ....... This evening I had calls with organizers, team representatives, @women_cpa, and myself. Organizers are taking various steps to get more police bikes ready for tomorrow. The team and @cpacycling are asking for assurances of women's safety. After the call I spoke with UCI and reported the status of our call. Good luck and be safe," Hansen wrote on social media after the first stage.
Then on Saturday morning, he posted a second tweet, thanking all parties involved in the negotiations (CPA women's representative Alex Cappelot, team representative Jolien Dufour, the UCI, and race organizer Association Française des Creules Cyclists). He expressed his gratitude to the team. He said again, "I hope everything goes well."
His hopes did not last long. The first 25 km of Saturday's second stage was neutralized, further shortening the shortest route of the three-day stage race, which was originally 96 km. Riders were concerned about safety measures on the second day, especially the increased number of bikes riding right next to the peloton
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The race then began, but only for about 28 km before the peloton came to a complete stop on the course. Many riders said the bike was moving dangerously.
After discussions with officials, Audrey Cordon-Lagotte (Human Powered Health) stated to the peloton that the riders would proceed in a separate, neutral procession to the base of the finish climb and race from there. The race committee members were noted to have stated that "safety was ensured throughout the route" and that "it was decided to resume, noting that failure to continue would be considered an abstention."
The race was then resumed.
However, Eurosport/GCN cameras caught the riders signaling a stray car parked on the course as the peloton passed through a populated area with 21.2 km remaining.
Stage 2 was ultimately won by Marta Cavalli (FDJ SUEZ) on the summit of Autacam, pulling Ashley Moolman-Pasio (AG Insurance-Soudal-Quick Step) out of the race lead.
Stage 3 was scheduled to take place as planned on Sunday's final day, 126 km from Ney to Bosdalos. Cavalli led Mourmain-Pasio by 3 seconds, with Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM) finishing 8 seconds behind.
Adam Hansen's tweet after the first stage:
[29] [30] [31] [32] [33] Adam Hansen's tweet after the second stage when the riders stopped.
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