Cycling teams withdraw from stage race after cars invade course

PARIS (AP) — Several cycling teams said they were withdrawing from the Étoile de Bessèges stage race on Friday because of cars driving on the course in southern France.

Soudal Quick-Step, Lidl-Trek, EF Pro Cycling, and Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe cited safety concerns caused by incidents of vehicles entering roads used by the race that should have been cordoned off.

“Our team is one of the several that have decided to retire from today’s #EDB25 stage due to several incidents over motor vehicles being allowed onto the race course,” Soudal Quick-Step said on X.

“We find this unacceptable and decided not to rejoin the stage as we prioritize the safety of our rides and staff.”

Cyclingweekly.com said “stage three was neutralized after the peloton stopped for a vehicle on a roundabout.”

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AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling