Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman details 'crazy' difference between Tour de France and football - 'You can't allow that'

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Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman exclusively spoke to TNT Sports about the differences between cycling and football. The 62-year-old said he was surprised by cycling's lax safety protocols upon spending a morning watching Visma-Lease a Bike’s rest day ride. Meanwhile, Koeman, a former Barcelona defender, revealed that he had long been a cycling fan.

'Visma weren't attacking to keep Pogacar in yellow', insists Vingegaard

Video credit: TNT Sports

Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman detailed the "crazy" difference between elite cycling and football.

Whether it be as the crown jewel of Barcelona’s back line in the early 1990s, or as the manager that led the Netherlands to the Euro 2024 semi-final, Koeman has been a fixture of elite football for decades.

And upon being invited to see Visma-Lease a Bike’s rest day ride, the 62-year-old admitted he was surprised by cycling's lax safety protocols, when compared to football.

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"You see a big difference between cycling and football in terms of security," Koeman exclusively told TNT Sports. "In cycling, everyone can come to the hotel and be a short distance to the riders.

"But what surprised me most this morning is that their eight riders did some training, and behind them there were 10 or 15 amateur people cycling with them.

"It’s crazy because they could cause an accident for one of the tournament favourites.

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Video credit: TNT Sports

"You can’t allow that. It’s a big difference with football, where you have to take out all the risks. And I was surprised about that.

"On the one hand, it’s really nice. You can see what happens and be close to the best cyclists in the world, but on the other hand, it’s strange."

Elsewhere, Koeman remarked upon the similarities in the conditioning of footballers and cyclists.

Koeman said: "You see that it’s the biggest event in cycling. They are so physically strong and well prepared because everyone knows it's such a physically hard sport. It was really nice to see that.

"Also, it's about working with a team. It’s more of an individual sport than football, but the most important thing is the team.

"And you have cyclists that work really hard to provide the best opportunity for the best person in the team to win the stage.

"From what I heard from the people at Visma is they try to have the best team. Not just the best cyclists, but the best team to help Jonas Vingegaard win the Tour."

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