Veloviews for October 7th, 2022 – Dangerous Roads at the CRO Pro Race

Although the pro cycling season is mostly over, there are still some races occurring but they are not overly publicized. One of those is the CRO Race, which was formally called the Tour of Croatia.

The CRO race made the news on cycling websites recently when several pros complained about the roads the race covers, citing them as dangerous and unsafe. Jos Van Emden of the Jumbo-Visma team said all 6 stages of the race contained roads with large pot holes, tram tracks, and traffic islands.

Van Emden said these dangers were especially prevalent during the Zagreb stage. In his mind, this is just another clear case of how the UCI doesn’t care about the riders. He also added that for him, personally, he would not participate in any future versions of the race.

The Tour of Croatia is a relatively new race on the UCI calendar as it has only been around for 7 years. It was created by a former pro cyclist in 2015. The race originally occurred before the Giro d’Italia early in the season, but it now takes place during the September/ October time frame.

To me, it doesn’t matter if you’re a pro rider or an amateur rider like me, safety should always be a concern. Cities should definitely put money toward making roads useful for motorists and bicyclists. And an organization like the UCI should know better than to put pro riders’ lives in jeopardy by not making sure roads are free of potential obstacles.

What are your thoughts about road safety as a bicyclist? Let me know your comments by liking, sharing, and commenting on this post. Have a great weekend everyone.