CSN News: Nearly 50 injured in a mass crash during a belgian cycling event

A brand new amateur race backed up by the International Cycling Union, the Cyclosportive des Lacs de l’Eau d’Heure was supposed to offer a scenic day with thrilling riding on two wheels. However, after just 20km the Cyclosportive des Lacs de l’Eau d’Heure turned into chaos.

A massive crash involving around 150 riders left 47 people injured – three of them seriously – and forced organisers to cancel the event on the spot on Sunday 20th.

Nearly 2,500 cyclists had signed up for the race, which promised to be a picturesque route. The disaster began when a large bunch of riders collided with each other in a chain-reaction crash. As the group bunched up, riders in the back had no time to stop. Dozens bikes were damaged and bodies were scattered on the road.

One participant said he’d never seen anything like it – a tangle of wheels, helmets, and confusion. Another one told Flemish broadcaster VRT that the crash was triggered by a shove in the peloton, which caused one rider to fall – and then others crashed while trying to avoid him.

Another cyclist said that the chaos was “absolute” on the channel.

Are safety measures sufficient?

The event organizers quickly issued a statement to defend the safety protocols of the event, claiming that all legal requirements had been met and guidelines from authorities were followed. As a result of so many injuries, there are questions about whether the safety protocols were up to standard.

This was meant to be the first of many editions of the Cyclosportive des Lacs de l’Eau d’Heure – a new highlight on the amateur cycling calendar. The UCI had high expectations for the event. After such a disappointing debut, the future of this team may be in doubt.

For the moment, the focus should be on the recovery of the injured and an investigation into the circumstances that led to the accident. The amateur cycling community has a lot of thinking to do.

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