Canadian cyclist calls for improved rider safety after latest crash-riddled start to Tour de France

Dion Caputi · CBC Sports

· Posted: Jul 09, 2025 5:15 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Following a chaotic, crash-riddled commencement to the Tour de France, a Canadian cyclist has raised concerns astir rider safety.

In a idiosyncratic blog post shared Tuesday, seasoned rider Michael Woods, of Ottawa, scrutinized the Amaury Sport Organisation's committedness to ensuring the information of riders.

"No substance what ASO says, they emotion crashes," Woods wrote.

"Despite their claimed 'attempts' to marque the athletics safer, 1 gets a consciousness — erstwhile watching immoderate item reel they make — that blood, breached bikes, and immoderate mediocre bastard walking into an ambulance are what they emotion to sell."

Woods, 38, also advocated for riders to deterioration protective equipment.

"If you dropped anyone extracurricular the pro peloton into this Tour tract during immoderate of the archetypal 3 stages, they would think, 'Why the hellhole americium I not wearing hockey instrumentality close now?'

Woods detailed a four-pronged attack that helium believes volition alleviate the hazard of wounded to riders: lowering speed, decreasing peloton size, reducing distraction, and rethinking the relegation system.

The Israel-Premier Tech rider suggested organizers tin bash a amended occupation of mitigating the risks riders indispensable incur if they anticipation to execute results successful competitions.

"ASO telling riders 'you request to instrumentality little risk' is similar the NBA telling Steph Curry, 'you request to sprout less threes.' It does nothing," Woods wrote.

Serious crashes are communal successful the Tour de France, peculiarly successful the archetypal week.

During the 3rd signifier of this year's installment, prima sprinter Jasper Philipsen of Belgium suffered a breached collarbone and astatine slightest 1 rib aft a hit, ending his Tour.

The incidental followed crashes to Switzerland's Stefan Bissegger and Italy's Filippo Ganna connected opening stage, which ended each of their races.

Another constituent of contention for Woods came successful his description that 1 of the heads of ASO — portion discussing ways to marque the athletics safer — laid astatine slightest partial blame connected riders.

"Paraphrasing — portion I was listening to the presumption successful French — helium said thing on the lines of: 'Riders indispensable besides instrumentality greater measures to trim risks, and if they don't, they whitethorn person to beryllium forced to deterioration protective instrumentality successful the future.'" Woods wrote.

"He said this arsenic if wearing protective instrumentality would beryllium punitive. To me, this showed a important misunderstanding of what riders privation and however sports, and beingness successful general, work."

At the decision of Stage 5 of the Tour de France connected Wednesday, Woods sits 25 minutes, 54 seconds disconnected the pb successful 122nd position.

Reigning clip proceedings Olympic and satellite champion Remco Evenepoel of Belgium volition don the leader's yellowish jersey heading into Stage 6 connected Thursday.