Rider breaks back in freak Giro d'Italia crash as helicopter blows barriers across road

These 'events' are becoming more and more common, I suspect that it is only going to be a rider getting killed that will lead to meaningful changes. They honestly don't care about the riders at all.  

September Tour magazine shows what is used in the air to do the pictures for the Tour de France. Motorbikes and low flying helis transmit to a heli at 3000m that relays pictures to a plane at 4000m and another one at 8000m. The two planes bounce the signals to a low flying truck at 0m which beams them to a geo stationary satellite (36000 km) which sends the signals back down to the Director in a truck behind the finish line. I think that little lot may be beyond the capabilities of drones!

I don't understand why they don't use drones for the overhead shots in these races. It must be greener and no chance of these sorts of incidents.

I suppose the helicopter pilot should be banned for a few years?

Or will it be the same as with reckless drivers "oh, I'm sorry, I won't do this again" kind of bs?

Considering the helicopter had already been called off earlier in the stage as it was getting too close to the road on a section that the downwash with effecting riders, it was just as Simon Pellaud was making his moving from the break. So doubtful it would have been the same heli, but twice in one stage is ridiculous. 

Some of the things are avoidable, while some are year on year problems. The riders are growing increasingly frustrated with the CPA and their stance on things "we'll investigate"...Same with the UCI, "We'll look into it", but nothing changes, the riders want rid of the CPA, but because it is so integrated with UCI, they won't let it happen. It's a con, CPA work for UCI and not the riders they are supposed to represent and take a cut for themselves. 

I see the Giro is now disputing it, despite multiple riders stating that it was the helicopter. They are saying it couldn't have been and must have been an "external factor"...

I'm fairly new to watching the racing scene in any amount of detail, but is this seasons welter of stupidity of on course setup the norm?  Just off the top of my head we've had:

• Vehicles on the Skoda course
• Helicopters blowing over barriers
• Multiple occurences of insecure barriers
• Lethal sprinting behaviour
• Diseased "fans" blowing their potential Covid germs over everyone.

Honestly its like F1 from the 80's/90's or even earlier.

Seems like the riders need to get militant about their own safety and both refuse to race unsafe courses and hit the UCI and organisers financially when they screw up.

Im not usually one to recommend reaching for the lawyers but it seems like thats the only way the UCI and race organisers are going to take rider safety seriously.

There is no reason for riders to be hurt for anything other than normal racing risks, and even then they should be mitigated if at all possible.