‘When races are stopped, there is a bigger impact’: Matevz Govekar questions effectiveness of rider feedback on safety

Matevž Govekar believes rider protests can have a greater impact on cycling safety than feedback given behind closed doors, arguing that public pressure is often needed to bring about meaningful change.

Speaking on the Domestique Hotseat, the Bahrain Victorious sprinter reflected on the five-minute protest at Il Lombardia in October, when the peloton refused to start racing following a series of dangerous incidents involving vehicles on race routes.

The demonstration came after a delivery van entered the course at Coppa Bernocchi and two riders collided with a police motorbike travelling in the opposite direction at Tre Valli Varesine. It also followed the death of Finlay Tarling, who was killed in a collision with a vehicle during the Volta a Portugal in August.

Remco Evenepoel addressed the crowd in Bergamo on behalf of the peloton, calling on race organisers to ensure riders can compete without the threat of vehicles entering the course.

For Govekar, the protest highlighted the limits of the existing channels through which riders are encouraged to voice their concerns.

“There are many people trying to improve things who say that cyclists have to be more vocal,” he said. “They want us to be vocal with feedback, but you don’t get the feeling that this feedback actually makes a big difference. When the races are stopped, like it was in Lombardia, there is a bigger media impact behind it. In the end the media has an impact, and that’s how it should be.”

Whether similar demonstrations will become more common in 2027 remains uncertain, although Govekar believes much will depend on how the sport responds.

“Maybe these protests are helping, maybe they are not really,” he said. “If incidents like that keep happening, I can imagine they will continue, and if things get better, they will stop.”

While securing race routes remains a major challenge, Govekar sees improvements in protective equipment as a more immediate opportunity to reduce the consequences of crashes.

The Slovenian has yet to test the airbag systems currently being developed for professional cycling, but said feedback from riders who have tried them has been encouraging.

He believes their introduction could follow a similar path to mandatory helmets, which initially faced resistance from riders before becoming an accepted part of the sport.

“I’m not saying I would wear knee pads or elbow pads, but the airbags that are starting to be developed could add a big positive benefit,” Govekar said.

“Riders didn’t wear helmets because they were hot. Nowadays, when you have a full aero helmet and it’s super hot outside, you feel it’s five degrees hotter inside. Maybe at first there will be races where you say it was unbearable to have an airbag on your jersey. But you need to start somewhere, and then the product will improve.”

Helmets became compulsory in professional road racing in 2003 following the death of Andrei Kivilev after a crash at Paris-Nice. Govekar suggested airbags could follow a similar path, with initial concerns about comfort potentially easing as the technology develops.

Protective equipment, however, addresses only part of the problem. Preventing crashes caused by roadside hazards and vehicles entering race routes presents a much greater logistical and financial challenge.

Govekar pointed to motorsport, where circuits can be secured with extensive safety barriers. Applying comparable measures across hundreds of kilometres of public roads would require significantly greater investment.

In his view, that raises a wider question about cycling's ability to generate revenue.

“It’s not impossible, but it’s a big financial issue,” he said. “If the whole cycling business model were better organised, so that cycling could actually produce money from the media, I think it could be solved. I don’t have the answers.”

His experience at the Tour of Guangxi, his final race of the 2026 season, illustrated how well-organised roads do not necessarily eliminate the dangers of racing.

Govekar praised the fully closed roads and traffic management in China, but described the sprint finishes as among the most dangerous he encounters.

“You easily reach 60km/h even without descending,” he said. “These sprints in China are super hectic. You come into the sprint ten guys in one line, and there are quite a lot of elbows.”

For Govekar, improving safety will require progress on several fronts, from better protective equipment to more secure race routes and a financial structure capable of supporting those changes.

“There is a lot of discussion going on, and I hope it improves,” he said. “It always has to be a process that keeps getting better.”

Watch the full Hotseat epsiode with Matevž Govekar 👇