Bernhard Eisel wants more cohesion between riders. The Team Sky rider has called on professional cyclists to show unity when they faced with extreme weather in races. According to Cyclingnews, he explained his claim.

“I just don’t know why we have to risk our lives. It’s not the sponsors or the race organisers putting us under pressure, it’s just us, the riders. It’s always us. We’re riding the bikes and we’re making the decisions and it’s not the pressure from team cars or sponsors, it’s us. Today we found the solution and we’re going to start the race a bit later and you have to make that call beforehand”, he told.

“There are millions of Euros out on the road when we race and that’s the capital of the teams and you can’t keep putting that in danger,” he added Cyclingnews. “We were riding people off the road (at Gent-Wevelgem) and I’m desperately sorry for Boasson Hagen and Velits who both broke their collarbones. Is that what people want to see? I don’t think that’s the right direction to take the sport and I can’t think of another sport that would go out there with 100 kilometre winds. We do it and if we complain then we’re ‘soft’ or ‘never won a race’. In any other sport there wouldn’t even be a discussion about it. Someone would have made a decision beforehand but the riders can’t be put into that risk.”

After a difficult weekend because of the weather, the Cyclistes Professionnels Associes (CPA) met in Paris to talk about it. But some race organisers are sceptical with the creation of a extreme weather protocol.

“Something will be put in place but the decision needs to stand up in court, it can’t just be created by the UCI. It’s never black and white because if one person decides that it’s safe to race and there’s a crash, can they sue someone? You can’t just make up rules and that’s why it’s difficult. We all go out there and train and race in bad conditions but there’s always a point where you have to stop.”