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A Look Into Safety Concerns Following the Death of Wouter Weylandt
He crashed on the downhill slope of the Col de Crostis during the 14th stage of the competition.
The slope had previously been unused and was controversially introduced despite its partly untarmacked surface and lack of crash barriers, instead being substituted with ski nets, throughout its 14 km descent.
Following his death UCI president Pat Mcquaid has declared several safety checks and investigations to be carried out to determine the cause of the accident and how they could prevent any future tragedies.
President Pat Mcquaid also stated that the UCI would be looking into investigating the technology of the bikes as well after it was left unclear whether the accident had been caused by a fault in the bike.
He was quoted as saying, "We will make sure we are not making bikes which cause problems themselves.
But they the teams understand there is a limit to what you can do to a bike.
" Many riders had voiced their discomfort with riding down the previously unused slope, saying that it was dangerous and they did not feel they had enough protection yet race organizers continued with their use of the slope.
Another concern was raised during the time Weylandt crashed which was that oncoming riders would not be aware he had crashed and this could have caused further incident and injury.
This sparked a old debate over whether teams should be allowed to use radio equipment with which team directors would be able to warn and advise their riders of upcoming obstacles and dangers.
Cycling's World Governing Body the UCI has proposed to ban these from all races starting from next year but this has caused uproar amongst teams who protested against this proposal in February and have threatened to boycott the Tour of Beijing in the autumn.
Sky Sports Director, Sean Yates supported the use of radios by teams saying, "Radios reduce the potential for risks, because I radio through all the details, like if there's one sharp right-hander on a fairly straightforward descent".
A UCI spokesman came out in favor of the proposed ban claiming it gave teams an unfair advantage stating, "If you've got a guy shouting through in your ear what's coming up when you're on the limit, it's got to be an assist.
" If the use of radio by teams is banned it is unlikely to make racing safer for riders but be more of a danger as teams will not be able to warn them about any obstacles or dangers.
Any changes made to the courses to make them more safer, like the use of crash barriers rather than ski nets and only allowing the riders to race on properly surfaced road to prevent loss of control would be beneficial.
The UCI should also consider discontinuing the use of the 14 km slope on which Wouter Weylandt crashed on to prevent any other riders from injuring themselves.
If the UCI takes these measures then the risk of any accidents in the future would be greatly reduced and it would benefit the sport greatly.
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