After two stages remodeled for the presence of pro-Palestinian demonstrators, yesterday the Return had to cancel the Madrid finaleThe procession became destructive. Barriers were torn down. Stages were occupied. Runners were stopped. There had been talk for days that the final stage would be impossible to proceed as planned, but nevertheless... the sprinters held firm on the World Ball and every other climb, hoping to have the last chance that never came.
We have already written about this topic on the occasion of Bilbao stage, equally deprived of the endingWe found Vingegaard's observation out of place, as he was disappointed at not being able to win the teddy bear for his son who was turning one, perceiving the Vuelta group as an entity detached from the social and political context in which we live. Since then, both the Danish leader of the race and other representatives of the group have found it a way to highlight the horror of what is happening in Gaza, acknowledging the reasons of those protesting, but stigmatizing the violent actions. This position is also impeccable.
A street sport
Cycling is among the people, and it's impossible to block access to it. That's the beauty of our sport, and at the same time, its curse. when certain limits are not only given by barriers, but also by various political wills.
If a demonstration decides to block a race, there are no riot police units that can stop it. The race may pass, but in an unprecedented context of violenceIs it worth charging hundreds of protesters if the alternative is to stop a WorldTour sporting event featuring some of the world's best professionals? Of course not. cycling will step aside for that sense of responsibility that has always accompanied itThere are no tickets to refund and, all things considered, the riders are used to bowing their heads.
Cycling that suffers
Like when sport decided to declare war on doping and launched campaigns about not risking your health and other slogans that were thwarted by experience. Only cycling joined, in the name of the same sense of responsibilityCycling knew – say those in the know – that it had issues that needed to be resolved. Others knew it too – one might reply – but they thought it wasn't a problem. The footballers mocked the need to undergo testsRino Gattuso, the current manager of the national football team, refused to undergo a blood test: he could do it because for them these were optional checks, which were instead mandatory for cyclists.
On the altar of that correctness, therefore, Cycling sacrificed some of its most charismatic champions, most of the time without any evidence supported by proof.For hematocrit percentages, later deemed unreliable. Or for convoluted Australian algorithms, later cancelled. For infinitesimal quantities of substances that more recently were deemed a minor offense and punished with a three-month ban. We will never tire of repeating that for a case identical to that of Sinner, Stefano Agostini took two-year suspension and stopped running. And the legislation hasn't changed in the meantime.
The world does not take sides
The Vuelta protest was born to stop Israel-Premier Tech, then it degenerated. The comparison has been made several times with Russian Gazprom, stopped when Russia began its invasion of Ukraine: we did it too. Yet UCI President Lappartient was right: the provision came into force when, following international political provisions, the IOC decided to stop Russian sportNo one has said anything against Israel. Over there they have the right to bomb, starve, and wipe out a population, Imagine if anyone would ever find it useful to talk about their right to sport.
For this reason, in the face of cowardice or international political convenience, The protesters attacked one of the few sports that cannot be defended., which does not share television rights and has no tickets to refund. It would indeed be wonderful, however utopian, if sport should stop even for just a minute to commemorate the victims of that inhuman conflict, without the need for protesters. However, it's pointless to expect this to happen. It will be interesting to see what happens instead. on October 14th in Udine, when Italy will play against Israel in the qualification for the World CupCertainly, a stadium equipped with gates and barriers will be an easier place to defend than a tree-lined avenue marked out by simple barriers.
