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Radio communication makes for safer racing — that’s according to Belgian superstar Remco Evenepoel.
The double Olympic gold medalist called for reinstatement of race radios at international events in the aftermath of the tragic death of Muriel Furrer at the UCI road cycling world championships.
Speaking during a press conference Friday ahead of Il Lombardia, the Soudal Quick-Step star addressed the pressing issue of rider safety.
“Of course, what happened in Zürich was a racing accident and the only thing I would say is if there were riders with radio communication, you could communicate it to the car, and the car could communicate with the jury,” Evenepoel said Friday. “Then at least the ambulance could have come way quicker.”
Authorities are still investigating the time line and events surrounding Furrer’s death on September 27 a day after she crashed in the junior women’s road race.
The 18-year-old crashed off-course and was not discovered missing until after the race was completed. Swiss media outlets report that she was left unattended for nearly one and a half hours before an ambulance was dispatched.
She was later airlifted to a nearby hospital, where she died the next day of head injuries.
‘Nobody knew about the crash’
The tragedy has reignited the debate about race safety, with many pointing to the fact that major international events — such as the Olympic Games and the European and world championships — are contested without radio communication.
The UCI banned race radio at these events in an attempt to spice up the racing dynamic and force racers to compete without input from sport directors barking orders over a radio piece.
Another reason for the race radio ban at international events is that most of them are contested on circuit courses, which, in theory, make them less dangerous.
Yet the absence of race radios is now being singled out by some as a major safety flaw.
“Nobody knew about the crash,” Evenepoel said. “That’s maybe a reason why radio communication should be allowed in international championships, because I think in this case that was the main problem in Zürich.
“There were riders around. If you see somebody crash, you would always think ‘OK, the person is just going to stand up and continue the race,’” he said. “If there were no TV images and nobody saw it from the cars and the riders could not say anything, then I think that was the biggest problem in this case.”
Evenepoel tempered his comments by adding “it’s not up to me to say things like we have to change this or that,” and said some safety improvements are already being introduced.
Last year, in the wake of Gino Mäder’s death at the 2023 Tour de Suisse, the UCI and other stakeholders pushed for more safety measures.
El viernes 8 de noviembre a las 14:00 su familia celebra una misa-funeral en la Iglesia Reformista de Uster en memoria de Muriel Furrer.
También hay una cuenta abierta:
Atletas en acción, 8048 Zurich,
IBAN: CH26 0900 0000 8001 4986 5 https://t.co/38b0Ljjn4i pic.twitter.com/NVnov8ndfB— elsterrato (@elsterrato) October 11, 2024
Though some criticize that the effort — dubbed SafeR — has not pushed hard enough, races like the Tour de France are now providing additional safety padding on tricky descents and more signage ahead of traffic islands.
“I think we have already said quite a lot also last year with Gino with a downhill finish, with no protection on the side of the road to stop him going into a ravine,” Evenepoel said.
“I think what I just mentioned now is the second big thing,” he said of race radio. “That at least when you see it happening, you can communicate it to the car and they can communicate it to the jury and actions can be taken.”
A return to bridge of his 2020 crash
Saturday’s course at Il Lombardia also returns to the narrow stone bridge where he crashed into a deep ravine in the 2020 edition. It took him eight months to return to racing.
Evenepoel fractured his pelvis in a gut-wrenching crash, but thankfully the incident was captured by TV cameras, and he medical staff immediately attended to him.
“I’m completely over that moment. It probably only made me mature and helped me in a lot of ways to accept things a bit more easily than I did before,” Evenepoel said. “It doesn’t mean anything special to me and I’ve achieved some great things since then.”
The sector where he crashed on the narrow bridge in 2020 was coming off the descent of the Colma di Sormano.
On Saturday, the peloton will be climbing up Sormano and not down it, so the circumstances will be radically different.
Evenepoel revisited the site of the crash last year, something he said helped put closure on the traumatic event.
“I’ve got over that moment,” he said. “I visited the place last year after the race and I think that was a good decision to just have a moment there … looking at the point where everything happened, trying to analyze what I did wrong.
“I think that helped me a lot, with having a bit less fear on the roads round here, and just in general.”
Running out of juice
Evenepoel admitted he’s racing on fumes as he enters the final showdown in 2024 with Tadej Pogačar.
After third at the Tour de France, two gold medals at the Paris Olympic Games, and another world crown in time trial at Zürich, not to mention his harrowing crash and recovery at Itzulia Basque Country in April, Evenepoel admitted he won’t be at his best.
“So it’s about getting through and seeing what the result will be,” he said. “With the injury before the Tour and then getting sick after the Olympics, it wasn’t the best preparation for the worlds and these races.”
Officials confirmed a few key changes to Saturday’s course in part due to the threat of flooding and road damage.
The main change is the replacement of the Passo di Ganda, which was hit by a landslide in heavy rains this week, and the addition of the Selvino climb early in the route.
A battle awaits at Il Lombardia ⚔️
Plenty of hitters in the lineup for the final Monument of the year.
Getty Images
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#IlLombardia pic.twitter.com/bhWaEJSBnz— Velon CC (@VelonCC) October 11, 2024
The finale won’t be along Lake Como, but rather after a sharp corner at 250 yards beyond the shoreline.
Evenepoel is bracing for one more big push.
“I’m still good enough to perform. If this is for the win or not, that’s something I cannot tell for the moment,” Evenepoel said. “I hope to reach Como, which would already be a successful achievement for me this year.”
