• The Cycling News forum is still looking to add volunteer moderators with. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta 2025 ( February 19 - February 23)

Page 8 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Riders are conditioned to think safety isn't their responsibility.
Most of the comments posted are correct, including some level of shame or national embarrassment because it happened. This isn't like a Far Side comic were something is obviously wrong!!H
View: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/137500594845511274/

The officiating crew, especially the chief judge need to take full responsibility!! If it were just a couple of riders that misunderstood course and instructions.. Cool..but in this example widespread misunderstanding at a minimum. In many road races and crits there is a pull out area just shy of finish so motos, caravan and neutral support turn out so as not to cross the finish line.. On mountain stages it's often just a few meters from the finish, but also often something to mark the finish like a banner or big promotional ring, at our races it's inflated!! RedBull, Powerade, Gatorade, ect.. If this many riders don't understand the decision that they were supposed to make a few meters from the line at 60+ k an hour, it's the person's fault giving the instructions not the majority who didn't understand them.
The officials should freeze finish order, ask promoter if they agree to carry over prizes for next stage. Choose not to award a win or finishing order, no time bonuses. Things contested earlier like KOM and intermediates still stand, unless someone protests, nobody will. Being disqualified for cutting or deviation is also about intent.. Nobody was trying to cheat.
 
Initial mistake obviously by the organisers, road was indicated very poorly. I think blaming riders is just done in bad faith,
really. That said, still sprinting was stupid and exacerbated an already dangerous situation.

Ganna should win, though. Need those Ineos Ws to make Radcliffe feel like he's doing a good job
 
If you look at the footage, [deleted content]] you see that he's indicating to the other riders to watch out and slow down. What else is he supposed to do?
I understood the comment to mean that WvA knowingly sprinted within the deviation for several hundred kilometres.

edit: note how what I wrote was very strange, because it was very wrong.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Initial mistake obviously by the organisers, road was indicated very poorly. I think blaming riders is just done in bad faith,
Because why?

1. It is signaled, you can see it in the replay
2. They have the same finish every year
3. They have a road book
4. Riders just blindly follow the motor around the moment the motor will generally leave the parcours in every single finish


You can debate the quality of signaling, but if you instantly assume anything other than your own reason is arguing in bad faith, guess what that's called.

It's also not like there's no general trend of these debates always blaming organiser and always absolving riders just because riders are the idols and organisers/UCI are always the boogieman.