CEO Richard Plugge and leader Jonas Vingegaard express concern after yet another shortened stage
The sixteenth stage of the Vuelta a España was once again affected by protests, forcing organizers to modify the final route. This situation prompted Richard Plugge, CEO of the Visma-Lease a Bike team, to call for decisive action to ensure the safety of the race in the final days.
Jonas Vingegaard, current red jersey and leader of the Visma-Lease a Bike team, commented with regret:
'It's a shame that this had to happen here and in this way, preventing us from completing the race as planned.'The Dane maintains a 48-second lead over João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) in the general classification.
Tuesday's stage was shortened at short notice, with the elimination of the final category II climb due to pro-Palestinian protesters blocking the road in the final 4 km. This is the second time a stage has been modified, following the neutralization of the final section of stage eleven.
The protests also caused accidents among the riders: Simone Petilli (Intermarché-Wanty) fell heavily after a protester entered the road during stage 10, while Javier Romo (Movistar) was forced to retire due to injuries sustained in a fall indirectly caused by protesters.
Plugge said:
It's truly unfortunate that we have to make this decision again to ensure the safety of the riders. As long as the organizers and the UCI allow the Vuelta to continue, I assume they can also ensure it is held in complete safety.Vuelta director Javier Guillen confirmed that despite growing protests, the race will continue as planned to Madrid. The protests focused primarily on the presence of the Israel-Premier Tech team.
