The fourth edition of the recreational cycling race Merkur zavarovalnica L'Étape Slovenia by Tour de France was marked by tragedy
The fourth edition of the recreational cycling race Merkur zavarovalnica L'Étape Slovenia by Tour de France last Sunday was marked by tragedy
As the organizer of the event, after a few days, we must responsibly point out again that we did everything in our power to ensure safety. The same safety protocols apply to the largest races in the world. Safety at recreational events has been rightly highlighted in public several times in recent years, as it often involves competitors who have excellent equipment, preparation and knowledge, as well as courage and determination in the fight for the best possible result. Unfortunately, this leads to higher speeds, dangerous maneuvers on the roads, greater risk, and all of the above contributed to the accident.
We have always paid great attention to safety
As the organizer of sporting events, we have always paid great attention to safety, and we will for sure continue to do so in the future. Every year, thousands of recreational cyclists enthusiastically compete in various events, including at the L'Etape Slovenia event, and at cycling events we pay special attention to the education of children and their behavior on the road.
On the fatal section of the route, prevention was taken according to a specific safety protocol: due to the high speeds during the descent, the safety guard warned the cyclists of a dangerous bend and therefore of a speed reduction with both a flag and a whistle, and there were also warning signs along the edge of the road. Similar arrangements were made on other more dangerous sections, namely, a total of 320 marshaling positions with the protection of marshals and police officers, 22 police officers on motorcycles, 20 marshals on motorcycles, 15 escort vehicles and 9 emergency medical vehicles were engaged in Sunday's race. We would like to take this opportunity to especially thank the emergency medical team for their quick response.
We immediately contacted the person listed as the emergency contact on the registration form after the accident, when the cyclist's death was unfortunately confirmed. We offered her the necessary assistance and transportation, and later also expressed our condolences to the other family members. The death was the result of a fall over the safety fence into a steep and densely overgrown area, with the cyclist suffering such severe internal injuries that he died at the scene of the accident.
In difficult moments, the competition management and the event organizer are with their thoughts still with the family and loved ones of the deceased cyclist, who will forever remain in our memory.
