'They love crashes' - Michael Woods criticises ASO over Tour de France rider safety

"Although the Tour lasts three weeks, for a rider it feels almost like an entire lifetime," Woods said. "We are now three days in, but we've already been away from home for almost a week. [...] So far I've managed to keep myself out of trouble, but because I've been at the back of the peloton the whole time, I've seen many crashes."

The Israel Premier Tech rider pointed to the pre-race briefing in Lille's Opera House as evidence of ASO's questionable attitude toward rider safety.

"I know I talk about this often, but when the wearer of the green jersey drops out because of a crash and you see what I've seen in recent days, it's hard to get it out of your head," Woods explained, referring to Jasper Philipsen's withdrawal.

"Whatever ASO says, they love crashes. Despite their so-called 'attempts' to make the sport safer, when you see the highlights, you get the feeling that blood, broken bikes and riders limping into an ambulance is exactly what they want to show."

Woods was particularly troubled by comments made by an ASO executive at the conclusion of the briefing.

"What struck me most during that presentation, however, were not the gruesome images of riders falling, but what was said at the end of the session. One of the ASO executives spoke about recent efforts to make the sport safer, but in his closing plea he placed remarkably much responsibility on the riders," he said.

"Freely translated - I was listening to the presentation in French - he said something along the lines of: 'Riders must also do more to limit risks and if they don't, we might have to force them to wear protective clothing.'"

Woods argues that the responsibility for safety lies primarily with the sport's governing bodies, not the athletes.

"Everything in this world has evolved with an eye to survival and pushing boundaries. Sport, a human invention, is a direct expression of that," Woods said. "When you set boundaries in sport, athletes will inevitably explore and sometimes cross them in an attempt to win. Especially when money or big interests are at stake."

"It's up to the organizers to define the boundaries and adapt them to how they want to shape the sport. Under the current rules and at the speeds the peloton reaches nowadays, riders have to take enormous risks to perform. If you want to increase safety, you have to change the rules. If ASO and the UCI really value safety, they will have to do this."

While acknowledging some progress, Woods believes current measures remain insufficient.

"Both organizations have taken steps and I am optimistic that SafeR is making progress, but nothing so far has been drastic enough to really reduce the risks and crashes. And warning us that wearing protective equipment would be a punishment is downright absurd."