Philippe Gilbert has spoken out on behalf of his fellow professionals after the horrific crash at the recent Vuelta a Burgos, saying "it's time safety topics are taken seriously".
Rider safety has been rising up the agenda in recent years after an alarming string of incidents, but riders are still being placed in harm's way, according to Gilbert.
In the final kilometre of stage 2 of the Vuelta a Burgos last week, a speed bump on a downhill section caused David Dekker to crash at high speed and sparked a huge pile-up.
Gilbert has acted as a representative at UCI meetings on safety in the past few years, pushing for improvements in various areas, but he highlighted shortcomings at Burgos - both from the race organisers and the UCI - and called for change.
"As the riders' representative for the Athletes' Commission of the UCI, I support all the riders who unfortunately, crashed at the Tour of Burgos. I defend the safety of athletes and denounce this kind of breach," Gilbert wrote in a statement.
"I asked the UCI to create a protocol for recognition, control, and validation of race routes and especially for finishes. However, this is still not in place. Unfortunately the riders are always the victims of this negligence.
"It's time safety topics will be taken seriously. Things needs to change for the good of cycling."
Gilbert was an important voice as the UCI overhauled its safety protocols early last year, which included a regulation that does in fact stipulate against what happened in Burgos.
"There must be no obstacles such as road narrowings, traffic islands and speed bumps in the final kilometre," reads the Specifications for Organisers, a supplement to standard regulations for organisers of WorldTour or ProSeries events, Burgos belonging to the latter.
UCI regulations include a clause that "in no case" can the governing body "be held responsible for any defects in the course of accidents that may occur". Safety breaches are deemed to be the responsibility of race organisers and are punishable by fines.
However, Gilbert clearly feels an effective protocol from the UCI is still lacking.
Part of the new safety measures introduced last year was the requirement for organisers to appoint an Event Safety Manager, reporting into a new UCI Safety Manager. A full assessment of the route and its dangers is required, with the supplementary WorldTour and ProSeries specifications going further in stating that risk assessments - including a more detailed evaluation of the final 3km - should be shared with the UCI, teams, and the CPA (riders' association) six weeks before the event.
Cyclingnews has not received a reply to a request for comment from the UCI in light of the incident in Burgos.
