Race on Fourth Day of NIBC Tour of Holland Halted for Safety Reasons
The third stage of the NIBC Tour of Holland was brought to an early end today. After about an hour of racing through South Limburg, the riders decided to stop the race due to safety concerns. The organization supported the decision made by the riders and teams and subsequently decided to end the stage for the day.
Thijs Rondhuis, Technical Race Director of the NIBC Tour of Holland, explains:
“Because of an uneasy neutralization, some unrest crept into the peloton. From kilometer zero everything was functioning well — the traffic marshals were in place and the motor escorts did an excellent job. But then we encountered a situation where a car, despite being signaled to stop twice, continued to drive towards the peloton. That was the moment the riders decided to halt the race themselves. The jury and organization immediately consulted afterwards. The Tour of Holland is a new event, and safety is an absolute priority for us. We were all in full agreement.”
Rondhuis emphasizes that today’s decision will not affect the continuation of the race:
“The type of course we’ll use on Saturday and Sunday is fundamentally different. We’ll be racing on shorter circuits of fifteen and twenty kilometers respectively. That makes the logistics and traffic management much more controllable and easier to secure. Today’s stage covered a 110-kilometer loop through South Limburg — a very different kind of route. Over the coming days, we’re confident we can organize and safeguard the race properly.”
