'Unacceptable' - Chaos and protest at Etoile de Bessèges as teams quit after cars get on the course
Soudal-QuickStep, EF Education-EasyPost and Lidl-Trek among teams to retire as stage restarts after neutralisation
The Etoile de Bessèges descended into chaos and protest early on stage 3, with several leading teams deciding to abandon the race due to dangerous conditions and cars driving on the course.
Soudal-QuickStep, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, EF Education-EasyPost and Uno-X Mobility all refused to race on but other teams raced on.
Ineos Grenadiers have confirmed to Cyclingnews that their riders also abandoned the race.
"The safety of our riders and staff is of paramount importance," said the British team on X. "Following multiple incidents of public vehicles entering the race course our riders, together with other teams, have decided not to complete today’s stage at #EDB25."
"Our team is one of the several that have decided to retire from today’s #EDB25 stage due to several incidents over motor vehicles being allowed onto the race course," Soudal-QuickStep said in a statement.
"We find this unacceptable and decided not to rejoin the stage as we prioritise the safety of our rides and staff."
EF Education-EasyPost said: "Our team, along with several others, has decided to retire from the Étoile de Bessèges due to safety concerns, including the presence of moving vehicles on the race course. The safety of our riders and staff is our top priority."
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The stage was initially neutralised after 17km of racing in the rain when the riders suddenly came face to face with a car on a roundabout.
After discussions between rider representatives, race organisers and the UCI officials, it was agreed to neutralise the race for the climb and descent of the Cols des Brousses.
Some riders set off when the stage restarted but other riders did not start and headed to their buses. It is unlikely they will be allowed to contest the remaining races.
A car drove into the peloton during stage 2 on Thursday, with riders narrowly avoiding a high-speed collision. However, Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) crashed and was forced to abandon the race.
Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.