Riders at the Giro di Lombardia staged a protest that delayed the start of the race by five minutes, seeking to draw attention to safety concerns following a series of incidents. Organisers completed the countdown and a starting flag was waved, but the peloton remained stationary, creating confusion among spectators in Bergamo, Italy.
Belgium's Remco Evenepoel addressed the crowd, saying "there's too many incidents happening with vehicles in the race" and highlighting the death of British cyclist Fin Tarling, who died in a collision with a vehicle at the Volta a Portugal in August. "Unfortunately we lost the life of a brother and of a colleague of us, so we want to make this statement to show to the world that we cannot keep accepting the fact that guys are getting injured or literally dying," added double Olympic champion Evenepoel.
After five minutes, a second starting flag was waved and the riders set off for Como. The CPA union, which represents professional cyclists, said in a statement that there were multiple incidents of vehicles on race courses that week alone. Earlier, Thomas Gloag and Marcel Camprubi were struck by a police motorcycle travelling in the opposite direction during the Tre Valli Varesine race.
The CPA has called on cycling's governing body, the UCI, to help ensure race organisers "take responsibility" and "act" to improve safety standards. "Riders race at high speed with little protection, and we depend on the UCI and race organisers to secure the roads," the statement said. The Giro di Lombardia, the last of the season's five Monuments, has been won by Tadej Pogacar for the past five years, but the Slovenian is not present this year after a season-ending injury at the Vuelta a Espana.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing