SIR Jim Ratcliffe has written an open letter to cycling’s governing body the UCI calling for greater measures to address rider safety in the sport.

The Ineos Grenadiers owner said he was writing the letter ahead of the first of the season’s Grand Tours, next month’s Giro d’Italia, and after a serious crash at last week’s Itzulia Basque Country involving star riders Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic.

Vingegaard, the reigning Tour de France champion, suffered broken ribs, a fractured collarbone, and a collapsed lung, while Evenepoel broke his right collarbone and right scapula. Roglic avoided fractures but has pulled out of the upcoming Ardennes Classics with a knee injury and other bruising.