Professional cyclists can top 100 km/h. But safety has not kept pace — and people are dying

As the world's top cyclists descend upon Montreal for the UCI Road World Championships, there's a spectre looming over the event.

At least 11 of their compatriots have died in professional races and training rides this year, adding to a growing tally of injuries and deaths in the elite sport. 

Though safety gear is being developed alongside the evolution of bicycles that can move faster than ever before, an underlying conflict remains in the sport: at what point must safety trump speed? 

Right now, the average speed of the Tour de France winner is 43.3 km/h, set in 2026 — exactly 19 km/h faster than the average speed set by the winner 100 years ago. On the descents, riders now reach upwards of 100 km/h.

Safety technology that might slow riders down, such as wider handlebars, are being considered by the governing body, Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), and SafeR, an international safety taskforce. Other measures being floated include choosing safer courses, tracking riders in real-time and adopting protective equipment like airbags.

But it has divided riders, some of whom argue that slowing bikes down goes against the spirit of professional cycling — and even those within SafeR, like Adam Hansen, have doubts.

"It's hard to get my head around this, because that's the whole purpose of the sport, is to go as fast as possible," said Hansen, a former professional Australian cyclist and current president of the pro cyclists' union. 

Others, like Canada's Michael Woods — who estimates he has endured between 30 and 40 crashes — says changes are critical to prevent future fatalities.

"The bike that I'm on now versus the bike that I first started racing on [in 2010] is night and day," said Woods, whose professional racing