'The teams are asking us to do more than we can' - French stage race organiser hits back at safety criticism after car incidents

The peloton stops in protest during the 55th Etoile de Besseges .

The organiser of the French stage race Étoile de Bessèges has responded to safety criticism after nine teams withdrew from the event last week.

The race was affected by multiple incidents of cars entering the course, leading almost half of the teams to pull out, citing “unacceptable” conditions. On stage two, a public vehicle drove towards the oncoming peloton, while on stage three, the riders stopped in protest after encountering a car on a roundabout.