Crashes, what can be done?

[Pozzovivo]

everything will be marginal until you ban pro cycling

Reductio ad absurdum. Nobody is arguing for zero risk or banning the sport. The question is whether we can materially reduce severe crashes while keeping cycling recognisable. If you think only a ban counts as “non marginal,” then you’re defining “meaningful” in a way that makes discussion impossible. Someone wrote the exact same type of response a year ago in this thread - why even do this when people are clearly trying to have a serious conversation about the topic.

 

[Netserk]

who said anything about meaningful

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

As to suggestions of marginalising sprint finishes:
I wonder to what extent sprint finish towns subsidise MTFs in stage races. Basic geographical/historical requirements for a human settlement mean they are more likely to be in major valleys or coastal plains. The venues of sprint finishes can afford more, because of their populations. They also have more accessible hotels and other facilities, so for all but the biggest "must-attend" events, will draw the teams that can afford to be fussy. Race organisers with a few big budget, big city finishes can afford to run MTFs as loss leaders to attract viewers and a different group of riders.

Suggesting that sprint stages do not belong in road racing means, I suspect, a very different landscape for race organisers.

 

[Divergence]

As to suggestions of marginalising sprint finishes:
I wonder to what extent sprint finish towns subsidise MTFs in stage races. Basic geographical/historical requirements for a human settlement mean they are more likely to be in major valleys or coastal plains. The venues of sprint finishes can afford more, because of their populations. They also have more accessible hotels and other facilities, so for all but the biggest "must-attend" events, will draw the teams that can afford to be fussy. Race organisers with a few big budget, big city finishes can afford to run MTFs as loss leaders to attract viewers and a different group of riders.

Suggesting that sprint stages do not belong in road racing means, I suspect, a very different landscape for race organisers.

Well, things constantly change and I see no reason why the traditional city finishes cannot go the way of the Dodo bird. You can still start in a city and possibly have the caravan sleep over in a city, just do everything to reduce the risk of mass crashes. And pancake flat sprint stages with a finish in the city center are the single biggest mass crash cause.

 

[AmRacer]

Well, things constantly change and I see no reason why the traditional city finishes cannot go the way of the Dodo bird. You can still start in a city and possibly have the caravan sleep over in a city, just do everything to reduce the risk of mass crashes. And pancake flat sprint stages with a finish in the city center are the single biggest mass crash cause.

Maybe a heavier body can sustain the cobbles better.

 

[Cookster15]

Nobody serious is saying “halve the number of teams to 11” or “keep 22 teams but slash them to 4 riders.” Of course those are awkward.
The obvious middle ground is what many people are actually advocating: a modest reduction that keeps the sport recognizable while lowering the crash pressure. Something like 14 to 16 teams with 6 riders for the biggest events. That preserves team tactics, leadership protection, and race identity, while materially reducing the number of bodies involved in the same fight for space.

Yes. I only gave two extremes to help frame discussion. 16 teams of 6 riders (96) might achieve the safety gains yet preserve the race dynamics and marketing aspects.

The main thing I wanted was an alternative to passive safety measures being discussed. As in road safety it is always better to avoid crashing than soften the injury once you do.

You mentioned the other day that you analyzed a correlation between peloton size and incidence of crashes ( number of crashed riders and impact of crashes)? I only briefly looked at the Tour de France to gauge an idea (Google AI search). Since I missed that if you could share or link to that it would be helpful?

But we can also talk about this here, but I hope the UCI is seriously looking into similar.