Airbags in the future?: Marcel Kittel on safety in cycling

"We don't have a crumple zone. The question is: how can we introduce more innovation? There are airbags for city cyclists, maybe that's the future," the 35-year-old Kittel told the German Press Agency. Kittel presented a children's bike with former time trial world champion Tony Martin at the Eurobike in Frankfurt am Main.

Safety debate in cycling reignited

Most recently, Gino Mäder crashed into a ravine at high speed on the descent from the Albula Pass to the finish in La Punt on the last few kilometres of the fifth stage of the Tour de Suisse and had to be resuscitated. One day later, the seriously injured Swiss rider died in hospital.

For Kittel, a lot has already happened in terms of safety in recent years. "I think it was a shock for many people. It made it clear that cycling is one of the last few sports that is life-threatening. Death is a potential risk. When it happens, you shout that you have to do it safely. That's only true to a limited extent," said the sprinter, who retired in 2019. You will "never be able to make the sport completely safe".

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