After the final stage of the Vuelta a España was cancelled due to mass pro-Palestine protests in Madrid, riders including Michal Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers) have criticised the handling of the situation.
After three weeks of protests and several stages being disrupted, diverted or cancelled, the Vuelta attempted to continue to its finale in Madrid. The stage became untenable when thousands of protesters invaded the roads of the city centre circuit.
“If the UCI and the responsible bodies couldn’t make the right decisions early enough, then long-term it’s very bad for cycling that the protesters managed to get what they wanted,” Michal Kwiatkowski, one of the peloton’s most experienced riders, wrote on Instagram.
“You can’t just pretend nothing is happening,” he said.
“From now on, it’s clear for everyone that a cycling race can be used as an effective stage for protests and next time it will only get worse, because someone allowed it to happen and looked the other way,” Kwiatkowski said.
“It’s a shame for the fans who came here to watch a great event. Personally, I would have preferred to know in advance that the race was cancelled rather than being led to believe everything was going to be fine.”
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