Risk Management in action at the 2019 Tour de France
Anticipating and adapting a a major safety risk turn into an event
I have written about Pro cycling in an article last year , which focused particularly on Team Sky, now known as Team Ineos. Well, they’ve done it again, with a First and Second place at this year’s Tour de France. Congratulations to this year’s Tour de France winner, Egan Bernal.
I’d like to highlight an event that occurred during the race which required good risk management and quick, effective decision-making on the part of the Tour organisers, ASO. The event happened on Stage 19(the third-last stage) in the French Alps on Friday, 26th July. Localised hail and snow in the French Alps suddenly turned what was already a dramatic stage (in terms of the racing) into an unprecedented one. Although it was dry as the riders descended a large col, high in the mountains of the Savoie department, conditions suddenly became extreme further down the mountain due to this sudden, localised storm. The race organisers responded swiftly, and dealt with it by stopping the stage short of the finish line in the interests of safety. Although what happened was highly unlikely to occur, it was still a foreseeable event, not a “black swan” (or an “unknown unknown”) and good preparation meant that it was dealt with safely and quickly.
Good risk management in action – anticipate and adapt.
