A lack of unity belittles rider safety at Etoile de Bessèges

Tony Gallopin 'respects the organisation' as Alex Kirsch says a deal on safety was broken after two cars entered the peloton after 9km of stage 3

Alex Kirsch didn’t hold back when he talked.

Hi everyone,

I’m writing this from the back of the hire car ahead of stage 4 of Etoile de Bessèges.

It’s chucking it down with heavy rain, thunder and lightning, and there’s talk of snow at the summit finish of Le Mont Bouquet. I wouldn’t be surprised if the stage is altered in the next few hours.

At the end of stage 3, I talked to Lotto DS, Tony Gallopin and Lidl-Trek’s Alex Kirsch.

Gallopin had just seen his rider Arnaud De Lie win the stage, and move into the leader’s jersey, while Kirsch and his teammates had climbed off and left the race due to major safety concerns.

Their views on the main talking points demonstrated the lack of unity within the sport, but I welcome you to add your thoughts on the topic in the comments below. This story is free and not behind a paywall.

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Next up for me is the Volta ao Algarve later this month, but I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported my Substack so far. Your commitment means I can be at a race like Bessèges and share what the riders and teams have to say.

Thank you

Daniel 🫶

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I’ve seen my share of disappointing moments in cycling, but what happened on stage 3 of Etoile de Bessèges was certainly up there.

Frankly, it was a mess and a sad reflection of the level of unity within cycling over what should be the most fundamental and imperative aspect of the sport - rider safety.

One by one, teams returned to the buses on stage 3, with riders dismayed and fed up with the lack of measures and improvements made overnight, following a series of dangerous incidents that peaked on stage 2 when a car drove towards the peloton and caused a crash.

Soudal Quick-Step, Decathlon, EF-Education-EasyPost, Lidl-Trek and Unibet Tietema Rockets were among the eight teams who pulled out after tense renegotiations took place after stage 3 was halted due to another incident involving a driver entering the course mid-race.

Read more: Bessèges, I love you, but you're bringing me down 💔

The saddest part, perhaps, was that the race continued at all, with most of the French teams remaining in the race and Arnaud De Lie picking up Lotto’s first victory of the season after he and his teammates were given the choice to either stay or go home. Only De Lie and one of his teammates remained in the race, showcasing that unity couldn’t even be found within a tightly bound group of seven.

At the finish, Tony Gallopin, who won this race in 2018, and who directed De Lie to the stage victory, sided with the race organisation and their plight at not being able to guarantee rider safety. It was a tough position to uphold given the situation, but the Frenchman admitted that he wasn’t in the middle of the talks when the peloton stopped within the first 14km of action of the stage.

“It was a strange situation, and it really wasn’t clear. There were different points of view in the peloton, but in the end, we had to respect the organisation, and we kept two riders in the race and managed to win. In the end, it was a good day,” he told us at the finish.

Asked why two of his riders remained in the race, he responded:

“They just respect the organisation, and when they decided to go to the hotel, it wasn’t a clear decision from the organisation. At one point, the riders took the decision, but there wasn’t a decision from the organisation. I think it was more about the riders deciding who stayed. I respect the choices of everyone. If they think the race isn’t safe... but at the same time we need to respect the organisation. It’s not a big organisation, and it’s hard for them to organise. I think it will be hard in the future as well. I know it was a tough decision and hard, but in the end, two riders stayed, and that’s what we keep in mind,” he added.

Read more: Zak Dempster: At a certain point, it's life and death

Riders, teams, and everyone associated with the sport can respect the organisation but at the same time acknowledge that rider safety is the most critical issue in road racing. If the organisation was unable to provide enough police motorbikes or prevent cars from entering the race, then goodwill counts for nothing, and it shows a lack of respect for the riders and the risks they’re forced to endure.

“Yes. Safety is the most important, but like I said, I wasn’t in the peloton, and I can say what happened. Yesterday, it was true that a car coming into the front of the race is not acceptable, and again today, I don’t know what happened, but if the riders decide to stop, that means something bad happened,” Gallopin said.

“I’m sorry for them because this year they have such a high level and nice teams at the start, with a nice start list. It’s a nice race, but year after year, the level is higher. They had a good parcours and a good position in the calendar but of course, last year they had bad luck with the farming situation in France and this year these problems. I think that it’s hard for this race. It’s a beautiful race, but it’s also difficult. We miss unity in the peloton. Everyone has to make a clear decision to go back to the bus. Until there is not a clear decision, I think it’s a bit hard to leave at that point,” the Frenchman added.

Read more: Maxim Van Gils taken to hospital following Bessèges crash caused by a car on the course

One person who was in the middle of the proceedings was Alex Kirsch.

The Lidl-Trek rider was half frozen by the time he returned to the buses but agreed to give his insight into how stage 3 played out, while also claiming that an agreement that was put in place ahead of the stage was nullified by the organisation.

“Obviously, the first two days were very dangerous, especially stage 2. This morning there was a meeting on how safety could be improved and they couldn't do a lot but they said that they had two extra motorbikes and we agreed on giving them one more chance, which was a big step from the riders after what happened but if one car came into the bunch or something dangerous happened we’d stop,” he told us.

“It took 9km for two cars to enter the bunch. So we stopped and there was a big talk. It was an unnecessary talk because we made a deal in the morning, and after that, they tried to change the deal. From our side, the deal was broken. From our side, it’s really sad for the race, and everyone is losing. There are no winners, but it’s also up to the riders to stand up for safety. We saw the pictures yesterday, and we almost witnessed something tragic,” he added.

“I think that it’s ridiculous. When you make a deal this morning, a deal is a deal and you agree on terms, and then some people…we stopped and we asked if there were more guarantees and the organisers said it was impossible, so for me it doesn’t make sense to continue if there’s no safety in place to race,” he said.

With that, Kirsch stepped onto the Lidl-Trek bus and jumped into a warm shower. A few minutes later, the American team and the rest of the departing squads drove to their respective hotels and packed up. They’ve all since left, with riders catching early flights and staff heading back to the service courses.

This morning, the remaining teams will drive to Vauvert for the start of what should be the Queen stage of the race. De Lie is in the leader’s jersey, and the race will continue with exactly the same safety provisions as before.

There is an element of sympathy for the struggling French race, as I mentioned in a story yesterday, and there are outside elements to consider, such as the escalating costs it takes to put on a race, as well as Bessèges’ heritage in French cycling.

However, as things stand, this race is not fit for purpose, and last night there were rumours that one team forced their riders to continue despite the concerns.

No one wants to see a race like Etoile de Bessèges fade from the racing calendar but nothing should come before rider safety. But if we can’t all agree on the importance of safety, and that certain standards must be upheld, then what can we agree on?

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