Monday’s crash in the finish of the Tour of the Basque Country was horrific, the bunch was speeding inside the final kilometre, rounded a bend into the finishing straight to find two narrow iron bollards topped with traffic cones in the way. The first riders came around the corner just tight enough to avoid trouble, behind others could not see the obstacle. Some swerved at the last minute prompting the first falls before others hit the metal poles at full speed.
Racing is dangerous enough and there are safety rules and guidelines to protect riders. Only they’re vague because it’s too hard to set down firm rules for events that exploit open roads.
