2023-08-27 15:01:00
The weather continues to play up on the side of Barcelona where the start of the Vuelta was given on Saturday in controversy, following the dantesque conditions encountered by the teams during the team time trial of the first stage. Remco Evenepoel had also not hidden his anger on arrival, openly criticizing the organization.
Given that the conditions are still as difficult on Sunday in Catalonia – rain, therefore soaked roads and especially wind – the organization of the race has decided to freeze the times for the general classification nine kilometers from the end for the 2nd stage of the test (Mataró – Barcelona), just before entering the final circuit at Montjuic. On the other hand, the bonuses were kept on the finish line, seen completely soaked in images filmed by Eurosport.
“We saw nothing”: plunged into darkness, Evenepoel found the chrono schedule “ridiculous”
Summit meeting between Vingegaard and Mas
The announcement was made early Sunday followingnoon, when the 2nd stage had already started. Initially, it had been planned to block the times later, 3.6 kilometers from the end, at the top of the Montjuic ascent, but the organization reversed its position.
In a conversation captured by Eurosport cameras before departure, Jonas Vingegaard and Enric Mas had a discussion on the Movistar bus. The Dane offered not to take the start of the stage, to launch a collective slingshot, because of the race management’s decision to freeze the times at Montjuic. The teams finally prevailed.
“We don’t start… unless they change their minds”: Vingegaard and Mas in crisis unit
We were overwhelmed by circumstances
“I have the impression that they (the organizers) are not worried regarding our safety”, then specified the winner of the Tour de France 2023 at the microphone of Eurosport before taking the start, given at 1:11 p.m.
“It doesn’t seem to worry them”: Vingegaard rebukes the organization on the safety of runners
“I can understand the riders’ criticisms, but we were overwhelmed by the circumstances. Sometimes the circumstances are what they are, we can only control what is controllable”, for his part specified the general manager of la Vuelta, Javier Guillén, at the microphone of Eurosport, regarding the events that took place on Saturday.
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