Urska Zigart crash prompts riders’ union to call for cycling safety overhaul

Žigart sustained a fractured jaw after striking a traffic calming feature in the closing kilometre of the stage 2 of the Tour de Suisse into Locarno. 

Riding near the front of a chasing group, the Slovenian lost control and triggered a crash that also brought down Sara Casasola, Ginia Caluori and Maya Kingma. Casasola reportedly required stitches, while Caluori and Kingma suffered only abrasions.

In a statement signed by managing director Alessandra Cappellotto, CPA Women said the incident had again raised concerns about the way risks are identified and addressed in professional cycling.

The association stressed that it has supported SafeR since the project was established and has invested considerable time and resources in its development. However, it believes the number of serious crashes and safety incidents shows that the current operating model must now be reassessed.

“The time has come to review and strengthen the way SafeR operates,” CPA Women said, calling for clearer structures, stronger tools and greater authority to identify risks and prevent incidents before they occur.

The intervention is particularly significant because CPA is directly represented within cycling’s existing governance structures. Unlike The Cyclists’ Alliance, the other major organisation representing women riders, CPA operates within the UCI framework and holds seats on the different SafeR commissions.

SafeR currently consists of three main commissions, bringing together representatives of the riders, teams, race organisers and the UCI. CPA and CPA Women are led by Adam Hansen and Alessandra Cappellotto respectively, giving the organisation a direct role in discussions and decisions concerning rider safety.

CPA Women said the progress made in recent years should be recognised, but questioned whether the existing process is producing the necessary results.

“Serious incidents continue to occur, and it is our responsibility to ask whether the current system is providing all the answers that our sport requires,” the statement said.

The association called on the UCI, AIOCC (the association representing race organisers), AIGCP (the association representing professional cycling teams) and other stakeholders to work together on reforms. It added that cycling should not be afraid of structural change when rider safety is at stake.