Management of life-threatening cycling race blames riders: 'They are spoiled children'

The women's Tour of the Pyrenees experienced safety problems. Images show that several times the riders had to risk their lives to avoid oncoming cars. During the second stage the race was neutralized until the final climb, in the third stage the riders refused to get on their bikes. The race management is furious about that decision.

Eva van Agt, number 19 overall, explained the situation: "We were riding on the left side of the road when cars came towards us. We really just ended up in the middle of traffic. Then you still think: this is an incident. But it only got worse: road obstacles that were not marked, cars coming from side roads and driveways on the race. This just could have ended fatally." After two stages full of problems, the riders had enough of the dangerous situations and decided not to ride the third stage.

A decision the race management was not happy with. "The girls have demands that do not fit the level at which they are riding," race director Pascal Baudron stated Sunday morning when it became clear that several teams would no longer take off. "They imagine they are riding the Tour de France and all the roads are closed, and everything has to be locked. In France, that is not possible. One day there will be no more race and then they will cry. That's what will happen. Frankly, I wonder if it's worth organizing a race and then seeing all that effort ruined by the whims of spoiled children."