Following the targeting of the France Vs Germany soccer game in the latest of a series of terror attacks on French soil, Michael Rogers has expressed his concern for the Tour de France. He believes the proximity of millions of fans by the roadside to the riders makes it especially vulnerable (Photo: Sirotti)
One of the most experienced and longest serving riders in the pro peloton, Michael Rogers has expressed his concern at the vulnerability of major races such as the Tour de France to terrorist attack.
Rogers, who has confirmed the 2016 season will be his last, said in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris on Saturday when the international soccer match between France and Germany was targeted with three bombs; cycling’s vulnerability to attack was obvious.
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He believed the length of road races couple with the number of people free to come and go by the roadside and the fact some of the biggest events are in France, all underlined the possible threat to the sport.
In April a professional bike race that Ireland’s Sam Bennett was set to ride in Germany was called off after police there unearthed what they believe was a plan by terrorists to attack the event.
The suspected plot at the Rund um Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt led to its cancellation after the arrest of two people that German police said were linked to al Qaida and Frankfurt’s Salafist movement; an extremist group within Sunni Islam.
And Michael Rogers (Tinkoff-Saxo) says cycling must be aware of the possible threat, adding it would be impossible to secure an entire race route.
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"You could only imagine the expense for the organisers to barrier the whole circuit for hundreds of kilometres, I don't think that's a feasible thing to do," he told the Sydney Morning Herald in his native Australia.
"Let's see, let's see, I think we have to take it step by step and we all have to understand that those possibilities are very difficult in cycling and it would absolutely kill the sport."
He added the possible threat to races like the Tour de France were already at the back of his mind before Saturday night’s events in Paris, the latest in a series of attacks on French soil.
Rogers believed the fact that the Tour was so big and was watched all around the world made it especially vulnerable.
"A lot of riders do think about it because we pass a lot of people by the side of the road and it's quite easy for a potential attack,” he told journalist David Polkinghorne.
However, while the proximity of fans to the riders could be exploited by those with sinister aims, Rogers said it was important not to forget it was also one of the things about the sport that made it great.
Sam Bennett gets his Tour de France underway this year. A race he was due to ride in Germany in April was cancelled when police there unearthed what they believed was a plan to launch a terrorist attack on the one-day event.
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