The safety issue is always at the forefront, and yesterday in Belgium, at the finish line of the second stage, there was an important debut. For the first time, the "Safe Cycling Finish Barrier" was adopted: essentially inflatable barriers, a long air mattress created to ensure a soft landing in case of a fall.

The organizers of Golazo, who have been working in recent months with the Norwegian company Safe Cycling, manufacturer METEC, and Baloise, have implemented this system.

In an interview with colleagues from WielerFlits, Christophe Impens of Golazo explained: "This is an installation that makes the finish line, especially in mass sprints, even safer. We sought a solution that was not only safe but also logistically very easy to manage. It's a great invention by our Norwegian friends".

The great advantage of air cushions is their extreme ease of transport and installation: the elements are modular and, when inflated, are about ten meters long, one meter high, and twenty centimeters thick, but when deflated, they take up very little space.

"In total, the barriers for 250 meters in length fit entirely in the trunk of a station wagon, and with the work of just two people, it's possible to secure the entire straight section of a cycling race".

The second major advantage from Safe Cycling is the comfort offered by the air cushion in case of a fall. "Obviously, we hope it never happens, but if a fall occurs, you'll find yourself against a very thick air mattress. This makes the fall a bit softer, although ending up on the ground in a mass sprint at 70 kilometers per hour will never be comfortable".