Can safety for riders also come through a ticket? The proposal is advanced by Richard Plugge, the general manager of Visma Lease a Bike. The triggering reason for reflection: the descent of riders on the Col de la Loze at the end of one of the most anticipated stages of the Tour de France. "Between fans on foot, bike or car, it's always very dangerous for riders to reach the buses which, by necessity, cannot climb and park near the finish line. If we were to charge a 'climb ticket' of 4 or 5 euros, we would manage to contain the number of fans at the top. Of course, the spectacle would suffer, which this year was extraordinary, but we would all benefit".

In reality, Plugge's idea is not new and not even that original: in Italy, for example, Pippo Pozzato has been proposing it for four years on certain spectacular sections of his races.

Obviously, it is easier to adopt this choice for organizers operating on a circuit - just think of what happens at the Tour of Flanders - while for stage race organizers it is certainly more complicated due to the length of climbs, the different sides of each climb, and the actual impossibility of controlling every access. But it is still a proposal worth reflecting on.