Mathieu van der Poel expressed concerns about the increased number of riders in the Tour de France peloton, rising from 176 to 184 in 2025, attributing potential safety issues to the behavior of riders fighting for space. Van der Poel believes that adding more riders may not resolve existing safety concerns, suggesting that reducing team and rider numbers may enhance safety. Adam Hansen supported the UCI's decision, explaining that the increase is being implemented with safety considerations, as the total is still below past limits.
Mathieu van der Poel highlighted that increasing the peloton size could be a mistake, stating, "Most of the time, it's also the behaviour of riders themselves, which is also normal, because you all fight for the same position and there's not enough space." He emphasized the notion that safety issues in cycling are persistent and may not improve with more riders: "This will be something that will never get out of cycling."
Adam Hansen provided insight on increasing the peloton size, explaining that the addition of teams and riders was assessed from a safety standpoint. He mentioned, "the peloton wasn't going to be increased to its previous capacity of 198, and that the nature of the extra team being a second division ProTeam changed what an extra eight riders would look like," indicating a deliberation on safety and logistics.
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