“First test, then comment”: Oliver Naesen parries criticism from Van der Poel on famous chicane

The leader of Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale has a strong opinion on most matters, including safety in the peloton. “I will never belong to that section of people who immediately criticize every change. Smart people have thought about that chicane and it is a request from the riders themselves. I would say: let’s test it out first and only then criticize it.”

Naesen speaks of a shared responsibility after all the falls and the associated commotion of the past few weeks. “It is too easy to lay all the blame on the UCI and the organisers. I expect them to do the defaults out of the course that even a blind person can see. A bend just before the finish: abolish. Placing the finish just after a descent: don’t do that. But for the rest you can also look at the riders themselves. We all have brakes on our bicycles that we prefer to use as little as possible. And you can never completely rule out fate. Take that heavy crash in the Basque Country on Thursday. Tree roots that provide relief in the road surface just in that bend: no matter how unfortunate, but for me that is just bad luck.”

Naesen also points out that the professionalization of sport ensures that the interests are increasing. “You used to be able to get one here and there round deck driving, just for fun. Now that no longer exists: points must be collected in every race for the World Tour. And there is the pressure from the support vehicle. Take Sunday in Roubaix: before the first cobblestone section, 180 riders shout in the ears that they have to be among the first ten. Of course that’s not possible. But it will ensure that many riders will take risks and brake as late as possible. In that context, another tip for the UCI: create a system with yellow and red cards. This way you can punish men who cross the line. It is forbidden to ride on the sidewalk, but only one rider has been excluded this year. We didn’t even know within the team that that rule still existed. I just mean: things could be a bit stricter.”

For Naesen, technology can also come to the rescue to promote safety. “Feel my sweater (which feels super light, ed.). So that is a winter sweater, the thickest material I have in my wardrobe. If you fall, you will still feel it for weeks afterwards. Just to say that there are quite a few possibilities in terms of clothing. I know that airbags have already been experimented with in clothing, such as in skiing, and it doesn’t seem impossible to me to also build that into cycling jerseys. I’m certainly not against that.”

Naesen also expects – unfortunately – the necessary falls for Roubaix. “Especially when it is so muddy. In any case, I am not changing anything about the set-up of my bike, I am not suddenly going to ride with wider tires. I came here for testing in November, again in December and again in January. The tires will be 30mm at the front and 32mm at the back, which our engineers believe gives a significant advantage in aerodynamics. I have been testing all of this here for days, I am not going to suddenly change everything the day before.”