Aart Vierhouten, sport director of UAE Team Emirates, accompanied Tadej Pogačar as he studied the cobblestone sections awaiting the 2022 Tour de France, and the former professional rider described what he saw when he came to the second sector as " life-threatening" and did not match the recent emphasis on safety, he said.

"I am surprised about the second sector," Vierhouten told Sporza. following Pogačar and UAE Team Emirates sport director Marco Marcato. 'If I had been the organizer, I would never have let them on the course.'

"The cobblestones are sloping. There are no alternative paths on either side of the cobblestones. That is at odds with the safety that has been emphasized recently."

Last year's Tour de France focused more attention on prioritizing the safety of the riders, as the list of injuries in the early stages of the race continued to grow longer. In addition, a crash on a narrow road in Pontivy during the finale of stage 3 caused the riders to "go slow."

The 155-km Tour de France stage 5 from Lille-Metropole to the Arenberg Porte du Hainaut has 11 cobbled sections, the second of which is less than 100 km from the start of the race. after the dissolution of Qhubeka Next Hash, this year the The Dutch sports director, who moved to UAE Team Emirates, said the placement of this section adds depth to his concerns.

"After the sprint to the first cobbled section, everyone is still full of adrenaline," Vierhouten told Sporza.

"On the last cobblestone section, there might be a group of 40 riders together. But the first section will burn the entire peloton. It's a deadly risk."

This section was included in the Roubaix stage of the 2018 Tour de France and then also appeared early in the stage as the second of 15 cobbled sections.

"Fortunately, it was dry then," Vierhouten said. In case of rain, it would be completely irresponsible to let the riders thunder down that cobblestone descent."

The inclusion of uneven surfaces such as cobblestones and gravel is an issue that has caused debate and disagreement as it could bring the GC campaign to an abrupt halt.

Pogachar, a two-time Tour winner, said after previewing the cobblestone stage: "It's not a good stage. You can't win the Tour here, but you can lose the Tour."

Pogachar's sport director said that of the 11 cobblestone sectors, the second downhill sector was so dangerous that he thought it needed to be ruled out, and not just the Tour.

"It's madness. I can't believe I'm jumping down the cobblestones at 60-65 km/h. And in the hectic pace of the Tour," Vierhouten told Sporza.

"In fact, this cobblestone section doesn't belong in any race.