The UCI’s experiments to reduce the importance of earphones are increasingly facing resistance from riders and stakeholders. Richard Plugge’s statement was contradicted by UCI boss David Lappartient. Now more and more voices seem to agree with Plugge’s words, while Lappartient is in the firing line of all the experts.
Ramon Sinkeldam, who is currently riding in the Tour of Poland where the tests are being carried out, stressed the importance of radio communication via X. “Yesterday, after a crash, team vehicles, ambulances and jury vehicles were in a blind spot. How are we as riders supposed to know that all these vehicles are there?” he began his story about the lack of information.
“And if we want to call the team with one of the drivers, how are the others supposed to know who is bringing a water bottle or something to eat or who is helping? As drivers without headphones, do we have to look back 25 times a hundred meters to see exactly which car belongs to whom? That is extremely dangerous!” was his clear statement. Sinkeldam then pleaded for a neutral jury channel in case the headphones really do disappear.
He is supported in this by Dutch expert Stef Clement, who spoke at NOS: “In this experiment, the UCI assumes that the riders can always reach each other, but that is not possible during a busy race. Especially not during a mountain stage, when riders and team cars are everywhere and nowhere. This means that the UCI is once again shifting responsibility. If only they would take care of the safety regulations for the route first. The fact that the UCI wants to experiment at the Tour de Pologne is almost worse than irony,” he refers to numerous (safety-related) incidents at Poland’s only World Tour event.
“What progress have we made since those terrible crashes? Absolutely none.”
