Source : ABC NEWS
Tour Down Under race director Stuart O’Grady says he feels “real heartache” for the spectator injured at Saturday’s Villawood Men’s Classic in Adelaide.
A woman was taken to hospital with “relatively serious injuries” after being caught up in a multi-rider pile-up on the final, high-speed corner of the criterium.
Speaking ahead of the men’s Tour Down Under, which starts on Tuesday, O’Grady said he was upset about the incident.
“Personally, as a race director I feel real personal, I guess, heartache when riders have accidents,” he said.
“And to see a spectator who’s come from interstate to be here for our great event get injured, that hurts me more than anybody.”
A female spectator was injured after cyclists crashed into the barrier at the Tour Down Under’s pre-race criterium. (Supplied: Channel 7)
Cycling as a sport is no stranger to accidents, some of which can have catastrophic consequences.
At last year’s World Championships in Zurich, Swiss teenager Muriel Furrer died after crashing on a descent.
O’Grady said that safety at the event for both riders and spectators was his “highest priority”.
“Safety is my priority,” O’Grady said.
“I tell that to all the team managers, to all our staff before every Tour Down Under, the best Tour Down Under for me is a safe and happy one — and that goes for not just the spectators, but for obviously the riders.
“I’ve had high-speed crashes, I’ve lost teammates, but cycling is a dangerous sport.
The spectator was hospitalised following the multi-rider pile up at the Villawood Classic. (Getty Images: Dario Belingheri)
“For the people that are out there on the roadside, we are constantly messaging, [making] social media announcements, advertising to please be aware, please stand back.
“Cycling and spectating at sport can be dangerous.
“Of course, we will do everything in our power to deliver the safest Tour Down Under possible.”
After fielding questions about the safety of the course, O’Grady countered that changes had been made to make the course as safe as possible by changing the route on the 1.8-kilometre circuit from counter-clockwise to clockwise.
“We put a lot of effort into making sure every course is as safe as possible,” he said.
“It was actually deemed to be a lot safer in that direction because if you were there on the night you would realise that the sun actually comes from the west, which would have been right into the riders’ eyes, which I dealt with on many occasions, sprinting into the sun blind, basically.
“So it was actually a lot safer circuit going in the direction that it was.”
O’Grady was backed up by former Tour de France winner and World Tour veteran Geraint Thomas.
The 38-year-old is riding the Tour Down Under for the 10th time in his career and said he always looked forward to coming to Adelaide.
Geraint Thomas said he felt very safe during the Tour Down Under. (Getty Images: Dario Belingheri)
“I feel like it was completely safe,” the Welshman said.
“In my experience it’s always been one of the better races, to be honest.
“I’ve always enjoyed coming here, the atmosphere has been great, the roads are always, you know, you go over to Italy, I think it’s completely different to some of the roads you race on there.
“This race is one of my favourites, it’s always been the least of my worries coming here.
“My only issue on Saturday was I felt like my heart was going to come out through my chest. It was such a bloody hard race.”
The Tour Down Under gets underway on Tuesday with a 150.7km ride from Prospect to Gumeracha, featuring 2,386 metres of climbing.
