Tour Féminin Pyrénées director goes on rant, calls riders ‘spoiled children’ after UCI cancels race

The second edition of the Tour Féminin des Pyrénées came to an abrupt halt on Sunday after the UCI intervened and cancelled the event. This action followed the withdrawal of several teams over safety concerns. The riders were concerned over the race being disorganized. There were cars on the course, pedestrians walking across the road, as well as parked vehicles. As a result, there were very sketchy conditions for the cyclists.

Disastrous first stage of Tour Féminin des Pyrénées

After the first stage on Friday, there was a series of collisions and crashes that plagued the stage race. One rider suffered a fractured nose, while several others had to go to hospital. A car was on the course in the final kilometre of the race. Riders had to avoid vehicles and people on the narrow course.

The UCI has stopped the CIC-Tour Féminin Pyrénées for safety’s sake

The following stage on Saturday wasn’t any better. Of the 95 km, the majority of the race was neutralized due to concerns over heavy traffic on the route. Ultimately, Marta Cavalli (FDJ-Suez) won the stage, which had the actual racing only begin at the bottom of the Hautacam.

What the actual fuck..?! ?? #TourPyrenees pic.twitter.com/MXtfg3DYrp

— Mikkel Condé v2.0 (@mrconde) June 9, 2023

Following the withdrawals of the teams on Sunday morning, and the UCI intervention, the race director, Pascal Baudron spoke to La Nouvelle République des Pyrénées.

“Even Marion Clignet and Elisabeth Chevanne-Brache say that they are sawing off the branch on which they are sitting,” Baudron said. “The day when there will be no more race, they may cry and that is what will happen. Quite honestly, I tell myself that it is not worth organizing a race to see all those months of effort ruined for the whims of spoiled children, and I’m thinking of all the volunteers who are mobilizing. To be clear, it’s catastrophic for morale.”

Requests of riders at Tour Féminin des Pyrénées are “unacceptable”

He then went on to say that the women should be more realistic, or something.

“What is happening is that the girls have requirements that are not in line with their level. They imagine that they are doing the Tour de France and that all the roads must be closed, that everything must be locked. But in France, you cannot do that,” he said in a statement. “On Saturday, the president of the jury and the main referee went to see the girls, saying that their requests were unacceptable

Seventeen teams voted against continuing the race on Sunday, with only seven voting for.

The president of the riders’s union, the Cyclistes Professionnels Associés, (CPA), Adam Hansen, was involved in talks with the organizers after the dangerous first stage.

“Considering the safety risks involved, we firmly believe that a bike race is not worth endangering the lives of the female cyclists. Therefore, we stand in support of the decision made by the women to discontinue the race, and we believe the race results should remain as they are, including UCI points. This ensures that the women are duly recognized and rewarded for their efforts,” he said.