Maximilian Schachmann urged the CPA and race organizers to improve safety after he was knocked off his bike by an overzealous driver during a race at Il Lombardia. The German racer was struck by a non-racing vehicle that inexplicably entered the race route. The Bora-Hansgrohe rider managed to restart and finished the race in seventh place. He may not need surgery, but his season is in jeopardy as he has been diagnosed with a broken collarbone.

Considering the speed he was traveling when the car hit him, it could have been much worse, but the Paris-Nice winner hopes to use the experience as a catalyst for change. However, 48 hours after the incident, Schachmann told Cycling News that he had not heard from the race organizer, RCS, nor from the CPA or UCI.

"I can check my email again, but so far I haven't heard anything from the UCI, RCS, or CPA...I got a tweet from the UCI saying, 'We wish you a good recovery,' but that's it," he told Cycling News.

"While I'm very happy because I'm already using my home trainer after the crash, it's sad to be stopped by a car after three months of training in the coronavirus. It really sucks."

It is not clear whether Schachmann will take legal action against those involved. The driver of the car has been fined by Italian police and the UCI is investigating the RCS.

"We don't know yet. It's difficult," Schachmann said. 'I don't want to get rich out of this. I want to race safer; I want to do my sport and focus on that instead of thinking about how to deal with the RCS. I don't know what I'm going to do yet, but that's why I'm talking to you. Because we need to change the cycling world."

As Schachmann descended the final descent of the Lombardia, a private car entered the course. The German initially thought the car was a race official, and when he saw the owner turn right, he thought he was good to go. However, the driver was fined and given a point deduction and immediately turned left and jumped into Schachmann's path.

"It was a special Lombardia. There was no pack. I was quite surprised that I was racing on my own, with no motorcycle, but at that point I was in race mode and focused on catching Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo)," Schachmann recalled.

"I remember coming around a corner and seeing a black BMW. I was confused at first because I didn't know if it was a race or a private car, but I was going about 80 km/h, so I didn't have time to think about it. The camera bike honked its horn and the car moved to the right and slowed down. The driver finally realized that he had run into the bike race and I thought I could go to the left, but the driver suddenly accelerated to the left and I didn't stand a chance.

"I couldn't understand how this could happen. I was not just 150th, 20 minutes behind the leader, I was aiming for the top 10 in one of the biggest races on the calendar. What would have happened if the car had gone downhill and hit me ......?" I could have died. I lacked a great sense of security."

While Schachmann's specific example may stand out as rare, there have been a series of safety concerns in recent weeks.

In the Tour de Pollogne, riders finished the first stage with an 80 km/h downhill sprint. Dylan Groenewegen rolled Deceuninck-Quick Step's Fabio Jacobsen into a barrier, and although the Jumbo-Visma rider took responsibility for the crash, organizers went out of their way to insist that the finish was safe.

In the Criterium du Dauphiné, race organizers received deserved backlash after Emmanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma) crashed on stage 4. Thibault Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) and Kruijswijk's teammate Tom Dumoulin criticized the organizers for creating a steep downhill that included gravel and potholes.

Then, in the same race that Schachmann fell, Lemko Evenpole (Dečuninck-Quick Step) crashed and fell to the bottom of a ravine. He broke his pelvis and his Giro d'Italia debut was in tatters. Compounding his fall was a crash on a descent that was notoriously dangerous.

"Lemko's fall was terrible and not his fault," Schachmann told Cycling News. 'We can't see all the descents, so we have to trust the UCI, the CPA, and the race organizers to give us a safe path. It's similar to what happened in Poland. There was a crash on the first stage, but the descent of the mountain stage that Lemko won was very dangerous, bumpy, steep, and small. If the conditions had been wet, I think it would have been a disaster."

The CPA issued a statement over the incidents in Lombardy and the Dauphiné, but the riders, including Schachmann, were puzzled by the lack of progress. The Bora riders are even wondering what the CPA is actually doing.

"I don't think they are doing enough. I honestly don't know what they are doing. On the downhill where Lemko crashed, Laurens de Plus and Jan Bakelants crashed three years ago. But still no signs, no markings, no marshals. Why don't they invest more in race safety?' They could have put up nets, but they didn't. And when it comes to stage races, you need a group of ex-professionals to look at the whole parcours and 'prove it,'" he said.

"In my case, the organizers need to make sure that the race course is closed and that the riders are safe. The most efficient way to do that is to have the right number of bikes on the course."

At the Dauphiné, a controversial descent on stage 4 led riders to disable the descent at the start of the next stage. One option for the peloton members would be to strike, cancel the road race, and demand further action from the governing body and organizers. For Shachtman, a strike should be a last resort, but he has made it clear that solidarity among riders is his top priority over safety issues.

"I wanted to take this opportunity to support riders like Dumoulin. He opened his mouth after the Dauphiné stage. Schachmann continued, "I wanted to support the riders because if all the riders support each other, then maybe we can achieve something.

"I don't want to damage the sport. I don't want to damage the sport, because the fans don't enjoy watching a race where the riders almost die. Fans like to see riders suffer in battles and mountains, but they don't want to see a sprinter's face change after a crash or Lemko going under a bridge... The CPA and the organizers have seen what has happened in the last few weeks. A strike may hurt the sport, but if nothing changes, it may be the last thing we need."

The CPA and organizers have been working with the CPA for several years.

On a personal level, Schachmann is waiting for further tests before making a decision about his future. If surgery is required, his debut in the Tour de France will be postponed for a year. There is a possibility that the collarbone will heal spontaneously, but there are no guarantees. This is a cruel situation for a rider who has been riding well since the start of the season.

"It is too early to say about the Tour. It has been less than 48 hours since I broke my collarbone. Of course there is pain, but everything around the fracture is damaged. Of course there is pain, but everything around the fracture is damaged. "If it were to happen, it would be with a broken collarbone"