The rider was left stricken on the tarmac after a car swerved to miss another race vehicle and into his path. The UCI has issued a significant penalty for the driver.
UCI fines driver in Finnish rider Bergen Worlds crash
The driver of the team car involved in a crash that took out a Finnish rider at the Bergen Worlds has been fined by the UCI.
A communiqué issued by the UCI after the race stated the team car was that of Argentina.
And a fine of 2,000 Swiss Francs has been imposed for the crash. The sanction, by UCI standards, is very steep.
The penalty has been handed down under new rules introduced last year. They came in response to several high profile crashes involving race vehicles and riders.
In the U23 road race on Friday the vehicle in the crash swerved into the path of Finland’s Joni Kanerva.
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The 21-year-old rider was taken out of action by the car. He was on a stretch of course where speeds were regularly about 70km per hour.
And when the rider crashed, the driver of the vehicle kept going. He appeared to accelerate away from the stricken young cyclist.
However, Kanerva was close behind the vehicle and slightly to the left of it. It means he was possibly not seen by the driver.
The car swerved to the left of a vehicle ahead that was pulling in to service a rider at the side of the road.
And at speed coming down a hill, the driver appears to have instinctively moved to the left to get around the stopped car.
But when he did so, Kanerva was bumped and crashed to the ground at high speed. He slid across the tarmac and hit the crowd control barriers.
Video footage of the incident meant it was a talking point that the UCI had no option but to address.
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Word from the Worlds is that the Volvo vehicles issued to the teams have small rear windows. And the head rests on the back seats cannot be taken out.
It means the line of vision out back of the vehicle is perhaps more restricted than in other, bigger, cars.
However, the UCI has clearly taken a dim view of the incident. And under provisions introduced during last season it has sanctioned the drive.
It has held him in breach of the rule stating drivers of all race vehicles must “drive in a prudent manner to safeguard the safety of riders in the race, spectators and other vehicles”.
Joni Kanerva was taken to hospital and, though very badly injured, he has stabilised.
He has a fractured collarbone, with the police said to be investigating the crash. He also suffered bruised ribs and serious road rash.
The crash occurred in the same week the UCI announced it was taking further measures to increase race safety. It is allowing fewer riders in races as part of those measures.
The incident comes in a week when the UCI Management Committee announced that it was reducing the number of riders in races on safety grounds.
The provisions, under article 2.2.038, that the sanction for Friday’s crash has been imposed were introduced after some very serious crashes last year.
In May a race moto hit another at the Belgium Tour. That caused a crash in the peloton. Consequently the stage being abandoned.
Stig Broeckx of Lotto Soudal suffered serious head injuries that left him with bleeds on his brain and in a coma.
There were fears for his life and he was in a coma for months. But he came out of it and almost six months after the crash began speaking again.
It was the second time in a couple of months the Belgian had been hit by a moto.
He crashed when hit from behind by a moto overtaking the bunch in Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne in February, 2016.
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