– There have been an awful lot of pipes that the organizer could have avoided. Part of it is due to incompetence, while some is bad luck with the weather, says Magnus Drivenes, cycling expert on TV 2. We are only five stages into the prestigious Vuelta a España, but rarely has the Grand Tour made as many headlines as this summer. The race has in fact contained: multiple overturned threats to boycott the stage in pitch black star crash in the finish area several sabotage attempts 400 liters of engine oil Let’s start with the last thing first. On Monday, four people were arrested for having planned an absurd sabotage action, where 400 liters of motor oil-like liquid were to create chaos for the riders. The police photos show that the liquid was in two large barrels in the bushes near the road. Hoses are also said to have been laid out in the vegetation which were supposed to lead the liquid out into the roadway. According to Spanish police, the four suspects belong to a group fighting for independence for the Catalunya region. – Total incompetence The organizer may have been able to prevent the road from being filled with motor oil, but they have also experienced that rain and pitch-dark streets can create ugly overturns. In picturesque Barcelona, the stage was set for a magnificent opening stage in the evening sun on Saturday at 19:00. In reality, it was torrential rain in the pitch black for disappointed cyclists. – It’s a shame for Barcelona, which pays the organizer to showcase the city, it also ends up being one big chaos. The weather conditions are one thing, but the fact that they actually managed to set the team pace after the sun has gone down is total incompetence. When the cyclists have to compete in pitch darkness, this becomes a pure parody, says Drivenes. NOTE: Oier Lopez Lazkano pictured during the first stage of the Vuelta. Photo: PAU BARRENA / AFP – We are not circus monkeys With limited street lighting, the course was increasingly darkened throughout the evening to the disadvantage of the teams from the start ramp at the latest. Among those who fired a salvo at the organizer was the high-profile Remco Evenepoel. – It was ridiculous to have team pace in this darkness. We didn’t see a shit, the track was super dangerous and full of water. We are not circus monkeys, Evenepoel told the press afterwards, according to Cycling News. IN THE MANAGEMENT: Remco Evenepoel. Photo: PAU BARRENA / AFP On soapy roads in the dark, the result was overturned in droves among the riders who are very close to the wheels during a team pace. After the finish, several riders also complained that they had to cycle around six kilometers back to the team bus through busy traffic in the dark. news has tried to get a comment from the organizer about the criticism, but has been unsuccessful. To Globalcyclingnetwork, however, race director Javier Guillén says this about the pace fiasco: – It’s not like we have a button to stop the rain. It’s not that we can blow harder to get rid of the clouds. The overall leader crashed in the finish area It was precisely the rain that caused major problems on the second leg. With the threat of a boycott from several overall favourites, the organizer was forced to neutralize the last nine kilometres. The chaos did not, however, disappear for that reason. On soaking wet roads, the riders ended up like butter in a frying pan with several overturns, despite neutralization. Pins in the road also caused a number of punctures. For now, Belgian Remco Evenepoel, who has coped with the chaos in Spain, is the best. Despite a bloody crash in the finish area after the third stage, the cycling star has made a big impression and taken the lead in the summary. Drivenes does not believe that the noise around Evenepoel and the Vuelta will affect the overall leader in any way. – I think Evenepoel is good at shutting out all the noise. He said in a podcast that he is completely cut off from social media and news during a grand tour, so I think he is very professional and stays in the bubble, says Drivenes. On Thursday, a mountain stage awaits from La Vall d’Uixo to Javalambre.
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The prestigious race is characterized by chaos – the police exposed this trap – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
