Opinion: Coverage of the Stage 4 Itzulia Basque Country crash is inexcusable

Cyclist
Opinion: Coverage of the Stage 4 Itzulia Basque Country crash is inexcusable

It’s never nice to witness riders crashing during a cycling race albeit that crashes are, unfortunately, a part of the sport. But the repetition of showing the stage-neutralising crash during Stage 4 of the Itzulia Basque Country over and over was just too extreme.

On the roads from Etxarri Aranatz to Legutio, 12 riders crashed on a corner while descending the Category 3 Olaeta climb. Those involved included Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe), Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) and Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates). Riders have been taken to hospital via ambulance, with Primož Roglič leaving the race in a team car while giving a thumbs-up, and it appears all are conscious.

I’m extremely disappointed in the TV director and host broadcaster who chose to repeatedly cast images worldwide of the crash and for zooming in on those on the ground, all before knowing the condition of the riders involved; for deliberately lingering on shots showing them being loaded into the back of an ambulance; for showing on-board images from motorbikes of them arriving to the scene, and even putting music in the background of slow-motion images.

There needs to be a level of respect shown by broadcasters for those that participate in professional cycling, a balance struck between the obvious unavoidability of showing live images of a crash, and the respect to realise when enough is enough. I understand the desire to know, in the aftermath of a crash, whether a rider is moving. It was the music over slow-motion shots that did it for me. Martijn Arensman, father of Ineos Grenadiers’ Thymen Arensman, understandably said on Twitter, ‘When my son crashed last year, for us it was better and less stressful to see and view the situation than no [sic] nothing at all. In Thymen’s case the impact was mild but the view was the same on a stretcher and breathing support.’

But even the race’s official account today tweeted videos of the crash – eventually deleted but left up for almost 20 minutes – saying Vingegaard was ‘immobile’. Does this level of sensationalist coverage really have a place in the sport? Is this how we should promote cycling? With a mind solely focussed on clicks and views and not the welfare of those we are covering?

I cannot even think about experiencing this as a family member, friend, teammate or anyone who knows those that crashed. To have no understanding of their condition and constantly be shown replays of the accident like they’re animals in a circus being prodded for entertainment. Cycling should take a page out of Formula 1’s book and avoid such replays until we know the condition of those involved. Or alpine skiing, whose FIS Broadcast Manual states the TV director ‘must use discretion when reviewing an accident on the course’.

Adam Hansen, president of the CPA, later said, ‘Out of respect of riders that have fallen in a crash and their families at home. The CPA does not support TV coverage to continue to film them while they are down. Riders have reached out to me asking if we can make this a rule and we support that. Please be mindful.’

I would also support such a rule and back its implementation as quickly as possible. Perhaps companies that receive the world feed broadcast can plan to cut away when the host broadcaster refuses to.

Constant replays of crashes are indefensible.

For more about pro race safety, check out our podcast with Adam Hansen

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