'It will only get worse' - Kwiatkowski issues warning after protests stop Vuelta
The Ineos Grenadiers rider has expressed regret at the cancellation of the final stage of the Vuelta a España and questioned the role of "the UCI and the responsible bodies."
Michal Kwiatkowski has questioned the UCI’s reluctance to make decisions amid the pro-Palestine protests that led to repeated disruption at the Vuelta a España and the cancellation of the final stage.
Israel-Premier Tech’s presence in the race amid Israel’s ongoing invasion of Gaza was the subject of human rights protests throughout the Vuelta.
Although Vuelta technical director Kiko García suggested that the team’s withdrawal could help ensure the safety of the peloton, he also stressed it was not in the race organisation’s gift to exclude them from the race, as they qualified by right as a member of the UCI WorldTour.
The UCI’s lone statement on the protests came after stage 11 to Bilbao was halted 3km from the finish, when the governing body affirmed its own “commitment to the political neutrality.”
In the final week of the Vuelta, it fell upon the riders themselves to enact a protocol in the event of further disruption to the race. Ahead of stage 17, a CPA poll saw riders vote to stop racing if protestors blocked the route during the day.
“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. You can’t just pretend nothing is happening,” Kwiatkowski wrote in a post on social media on Sunday evening.
Ahead of the final stage in Madrid, it was reported that the biggest security operation in the city since the 2022 NATO summit had been deployed in order to ensure the Vuelta’s safe passage.
The peloton was stopped by protestors with 58km remaining, and stage 21 of the Vuelta was abandoned shortly afterwards. As riders were transported to their hotels, the finishing circuit in Madrid was the site of sit-in protests and clashes between police and demonstrators.
“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 wrote.
“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.”
