The French railway company SNCF has filed a formal complaint to police after many riders in the peloton of the Paris-Roubaix one-day classic ignored barriers at a level crossing and rode through, while a high-speed train approached.
In a statement, SNCF said: “Several riders deliberately crossed a level crossing, which is against all safety regulations. Millions of TV viewers were able to watch this unauthorised crossing which was extremely serious and irresponsible, that could have ended in tragedy.
“SNCF has decided to lodge a legal complaint and will leave it up to the investigation to determine who was responsible and we regret that such foolhardiness took place.”
According to the race rules, crossing when barriers are lowered is “strictly forbidden” and riders doing so face disqualification, but Guy Dobbelaere, president of the jury of race commissioners, said: “It wasn’t possible for the leading riders to stop sufficiently safely. The peloton was 10 metres away when the barrier started to close. By neutralising the race for a few moments to not penalise those who stopped, we respected the spirit of the rule.”
After the incident, the peloton regrouped, allowing riders caught behind the barriers to catch up. The race, Bradley Wiggins’s last with Team Sky, was won by Germany’s John Degenkolb.
