After the drama, time for reflection. Romain Bardet invited the runners to “to reflect on (their) common responsibilities”Monday April 25, the day after the serious fall that occurred in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, which caused serious injuries, in particular for the world champion Julian Alaphilippe. “I’m thinking of Julian but also of all those guys who were badly affected and who had to see their lives slip by when, at more than 70 km/h, the whistling of the peloton gave way to chaos, the sound of exploding equipment and screams. humans who arise”said on his Twitter account the DSM runner, the first to rescue Alaphilippe. The double French world champion suffers from a pneumothorax, two broken ribs and a broken shoulder blade, and is undergoing additional examinations on Monday to find out more about the rest of his season.
“Beyond the direct consequences, it leads me to reflect on our common responsibilities to avoid this kind of accident which could have been tragic, on the respect that we must grant each other as runners”, insisted the Frenchman. And to specify: “I saw it all, I was right behind Tom Pidcock (Ineos-Grenadiers) and Jeremy Cabot (Total Energy) when they hooked up”.
— Romain Bardet (@romainbardet) April 25, 2022
“The responsibility we have when we take risks to get a place at the front of the peloton can have serious consequences for the hundred guys behind us”insisted‘Auvergnat, who appeared very marked after the arrival by the accident. The third in the Tour de France 2017 also refused to question anyone: “I don’t blame anyone, let alone hold the truth. Simply, we give ourselves body and soul for a sport, a passion for racing that can turn tragic in a flash and hinder the beauty of sport.”
Romain Bardet said to himself “very touched” by the messages received following his intervention with Alaphilippe. But, he added, “I think anyone in this situation would absolutely have done the same, there is no competition in the face of the risk of physical integrity”.
In the wake of Romain Bardet’s publication, Jérémy Cabot (Total Energies), the first to fall among all the riders, came back with precision, in a Twitter poston the moment when everything changed: “I was the first to fall yesterday on Liège-Bastogne-Liège. A rider who forces the passage arriving behind me while I was on the very right of the road in the wheel of the Bora”, begins the one who is also a fluid mechanics engineer. And to add that there was “no room for two in this place, my wheel touching that of the runner in front, no time to brake… And chaos… in a quarter of a second.”
A little precision ⬇️⬇️⬇️
CC. @romainbardet @TeamTotalEnrg pic.twitter.com/063pnLptIv— Jeremy Cabot (@jeremy_cabot) April 25, 2022
A factual testimony to which the Trojan added a message of support for his fallen colleagues too: “I am sorry for those who fell behind me. I am thinking in particular of Elie (Gesbert) and Julian (Alaphilippe). Respect to Romain for his gesture towards Julian. I send the strength (that I have left) to those who, like me, are beginning their convalescence.” The French runner indeed suffers from a broken left collarbone after his fall.