The Riders Union sent a letter to the UCI regarding safety issues at the Tour of Saudi Arabia, pointing out "potentially very dangerous" conditions on the opening stage.

The first concerned a gravel section early in the stage, which was found to be littered with hard obstacles, and the second concerned the finish straight, where roadside barriers and deviation zones were said to be against the rules.

The Tour of Saudi Arabia is run by ASO, the organizer of the Tour de France, and can be fined if the UCI determines that it has violated recently updated safety rules.

"We have seen the images and have spoken to several sources who were at the race, and it is clear that there were two potentially very dangerous situations," Luke Eisenga, head of the riders' union, told Cycling News.

The first incident was a crash in the gravel section where Andrea Bagioli (Quick Step-Alfa Vinyl) hit the deck and fell into the middle of the peloton. He cut his elbow and needed stitches, but like the other fallen riders, he completed the stage and continued the race.

On Wednesday morning, the Riders Union released photos of the crash, highlighting three objects on the road and one traffic cone, presumably placed to warn of a fourth object. They cited Article 2.2.015 of the UCI Regulations, which states that "the organizers must give sufficient advance notice of the obstacles by means of signs."

Eisenga described the obstacle as a "large stone" and wondered why there were no signs. He said, "Further up, it is protected by cones, but the first one is unprotected.

"As for us, we say, 'It's okay, luckily Baglioli was not seriously injured,' but it means it's not okay. It is still very tricky to get a wound that requires stitches."

As for the second accident, the Riders Union posted a photo of the finish straight, highlighting a gap in the barrier with 150 meters to go.

This time, they cited Article 2.2.017, which states, "The 400 meter barriers thus formed must be continuous and the barriers must be firmly fixed to each other. No gaps [especially at the finish line] are allowed."

UC.2.018, which states.

The UCI updated its regulations on barriers as part of new safety measures ahead of the 2022 season: 400 meters refers to 300 meters before and 100 meters after the finish line, which must be sealed by continuous barriers.

"You can't deviate in the last 300 meters because it's not in the rules," Eisenga said.

"If you look at the image, the opening for the deviation is to the right of where the barrier restarts. The Bahrain Victorious riders have to brake hard because otherwise they will crash head-on into the barrier."

The Bahrain Victorias riders are not able to brake hard enough to avoid the barrier.

The Riders Union is not officially recognized by the UCI, which only recognizes the Professional Cyclists Association (CPA), which was created and is partially funded by the UCI. The Riders' Union was born out of a desire for a more "representative" and "transparent" system, with over 200 members from more than 30 teams.

Eisenga stressed the group's commitment to standing up for riders and revealed that they wrote a letter to the UCI on Wednesday morning to express their concerns.

"We respect the race organizers' challenge, but we also feel that everyone should work together to prevent this from happening. Clearly there is room for improvement."

If a violation of safety regulations is proven, the ASO could be fined between CHF 10,000 and 50,000.

Cyclingnews contacted the ASO, which declined to comment, and the UCI, which has yet to respond.