UCI cancels Tour des Pyrenées

The UCI has made the decision earlier this Sunday morning to cancel the third stage of the Tour des Pyrenées. This came after unsafe conditions on the opening stage in the town of Lourdes where cars were on the course, the race went through a pedestrian zone that wasn’t closed off and dangerous points were not properly marked. The second stage on Saturday would start neutralized for the riders to ascertain if it was safe. The race was restarted but after a few kilometers stopped again due to unsafe conditions. The final climb to Hautacam was ridden and Ashleigh Moolman Pasio finished in second place. 

After a lot of debate and discussions up until 30 minutes before the actual race start, the UCI stepped in and decided to cancel stage three. The World Tour teams in attendance had mostly decided to leave before that decision but AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step did not. 

Stage one winner and runner up in the general classification Ashleigh Moolman Pasio explains.

“It was a complicated night and morning. There have been a lot of discussions and debate. It’s hard to get everyone on the same page because we all have different motivations and levels in this race. It’s really easy for the Women’s World Tour teams to make a statement and to leave because they are part of the World Tour. They have a lot of security in races. In a race like this one, of the third category UCI 2,1, we have different objectives and teams. As long as there were UCI points on the line, the teams who want to go to the World Tour, or trying to move up or obtain sponsors, wanted these points.

I tried to see all the sides and had a proposal. I am a bit older and have my own business so I understand a bit more. A race is also a business after all. My proposal was to start and do the race so we respect all parties. We would neutralize it. We can take advantage of the tv exposure that was paid for and we can make a statement this way. I thought that was the best for all parties involved. The smaller teams didn’t agree to this proposal because they feared they wouldn’t be the talking points in the coverage or feature in the coverage. 

I was also in touch with the UCI. It’s very unfair that we a riders have to make this call. As a racer I do take risks. I am a bit crazy there. I am thriving on adrenaline and therefore I am never 100% objective in this. The UCI can be objective. They were clear and they cancelled.

As AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step we appreciate the hard work from the race organizers and sponsors. I hope the race has a future. I spoke to sponsors and hope that the race can continue next year. I explained to sponsors why this happened. We think it’s a great race with great potential in a great area. 

Finally, I would like to add one important thing. There is a lot of pressure in women’s cycling now to tick all the boxes: have the races, have the prize money, have the tv exposure. The priority now is that it should be in the correct order. The organizers have prioritized exposure and prize money but priorities need to be in the correct order: first safety, then exposure and then prize money. When our safety is 100% secured, we would like to return again next year."