Tour de France concussion cases expose limits of roadside checks

AURILLAC, France, July 14 : As happens every year, crashes have punctuated the opening week of the Tour de France, with several incidents highlighting how difficult it remains to manage concussion in a sport where the clock is always ticking.

Of the eight riders who have abandoned the Tour since the race began in Barcelona on July 4, three withdrew because of concussion: Frenchman Clement Berthet of Groupama-FDJ United, Dutch rider Alex Molenaar of Caja Rural-Seguros RGA and Norway’s Torstein Traeen of Uno-X Mobility, who briefly wore the yellow jersey.

All three had one thing in common: they crashed, completed the stage and then withdrew later that evening once the diagnosis had been made.

Berthet went down heavily during the opening team time trial, Molenaar crashed five km from the finish of stage five, while Traeen hit the ground the following day on the descent of the Col du Tourmalet while wearing the race leader’s yellow jersey.

“It is never very satisfactory for us to see riders diagnosed with concussion after they have resumed racing,” Xavier Bigard, medical director of the International Cycling Union, told Reuters.

The UCI introduced a concussion protocol at the start of the 2021 season. A year earlier, French rider Romain Bardet had covered almost 90 km despite suffering concussion in a crash at more than 60 kph.

“We have come a long way,” said Bigard, who began working on a protocol after joining the UCI in 2018.

Under the current procedure, a rider who crashes must be assessed by the first person to reach them, often a mechanic from their team.

If that person detects at least two observable signs of concussion — such as nausea, head or neck pain, weakness in the limbs, disorientation or impaired balance — the rider