Teams watch in silence as riders are not protected even after Furrer's death: "Drain covers started floating"

"There was a moment when there was just water everywhere, and we couldn't ride anymore," Team Jayco-AlUla team leader Valerio Piva described the bizarre conditions on the descent of the Montello in Tre Valli Varesine. "The riders pushed the brakes in the end and stated that there could be no racing in these conditions. It was dangerous, so we supported that initiative. From the start, we already knew that there would be enormous amounts of water, which eventually led to flooding."

Piva still expressed some compassion for the organization. "This is unfortunate for them and us because we want to race. We even had guys in the breakaway, but everyone agreed to stop. There was never any talk of not starting, but we did indicate that we could start later with fewer rounds. Later in the day, the weather was better, but thirty minutes or an hour doesn't matter much in floods. Then there's so much water, you can't control it."

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At Soudal-Quick Step, eyebrows were raised. "We knew it would be dangerous racing. Apart from the weather, it was mainly the drain covers that popped up that made it dangerous. Nobody protested either; the whole peloton was behind this," stated team leader Klaas Lodewyck. "The organization would have liked to do another lap to see if it improved. But water in a valley keeps flowing. The problem is that everyone sees this coming, and decisions in such cases always wait until the last moment. You could have had two hours of racing had everybody listened and started in Varese. But certain circumstances make that impossible, so the riders decide."

"We did not propose anything because someone is responsible for the teams," a fierce Lodewyck continued. He points to the recent death of junior Muriel Furrer at the World Championships in Zurich after a terrible crash. "We assume that logical decisions are made, but this is typical of cycling. Some want to go full speed, and others think about safety. Then, no accurate choices are ever made. It's terrible for the cycling industry that you have to do something like that, but in the end, someone died at the World Championship in Switzerland, so you would hope that they would intervene earlier. However, they first had to discuss it; I mean, it was possible that 30 riders would have crashed. The riders are now taking action themselves."

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Gregory Rast was a bit in between Piva and Lodewyck in tone. The general manager at Lidl-Trek thought it was a logical choice to go on strike. "The riders agreed that we had to stop. It was raining so hard that the drain covers came loose and started floating. The water was high, so then it was too dangerous to race. The riders wanted to prevent something awful, and the organization recognized the situation. They did the right thing, even though it's unfortunate for everyone. For health, this is just the best thing."

Rast further indicated that he had heard rumors of talks with the organization. "Of course, there were talks beforehand, and two local rounds were already canceled. The organization just wants to race, and so do we, so we tried. But of course, they also don't want injured riders, and if even a race enthusiast like Pogacar doesn't want to continue... When you can't see where drain covers are or there are holes in the road, you end up with terrible accidents."

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])