Groupama-FDJ manager proposes to ban radios, GPS and power meters to reduce risks in the group
Marc Madiot, historic team manager of Groupama-FDJ, returns to make his voice heard on safety in modern cycling, proposing drastic solutions to slow down the evolution of the sport and make it less dangerous.
At a time when the issue of safety is more than ever at the center of the debate, also in light of Bouhanni's recent statements on the trauma and fear of falls that led him to retire, Madiot relaunches his proposal: eliminate radios, power meters and GPS from competitions.
'There have been deaths and inevitably there will be more, and yet the next day we start racing again as if nothing had happened,' Madiot told L'Equipe, criticising the 'the show must go on' attitude of modern cycling.
"We need to slow down the evolution of cycling. The solution is simple: no more radios, no more power meters, no more GPS. With these changes, there would be less danger and fewer riders taking risks at the same time," explained the French manager.
According to Madiot, the main problem is that runners have become like 'remote-controlled robots':
'We are constantly in contact with them through the radio, which is a kind of telephone, the GPS and the power meters. We are constantly warning them of dangers, of passages in villages, of speed bumps and roundabouts, telling them to stay in front. But there is no room in front for everyone! And this only leads to going faster and faster to try to overtake the others.'Madiot's proposal is part of a broader debate on safety, which sees the UCI engaged in tests to limit the ratios and width of handlebars, while the SafeR project monitors falls to improve racing conditions.
