La Vuelta 2025 ***SPOILERS***

[mididoctors]

It will be interesting to see if any of the top 10 go long today in case the final climb gets taken out. Could be worth a gamble.

More likely is that they will be less inclined to let anyone go and breaks will be kept on a shorter leash

Race as though the finish was at the base of the final climb?

 

[Blazing Saddles]

Sadly, Its hard to see Thursday ITT going ahead if the protesters are determined to stop it.

I have read in Spanish news posted on the CN forum (which is in meltdown over censorship coming from the owners) that there will be 300 undercover operatives on the ITT course.

 

[Blazing Saddles]

Didn't Gee quit because they left him out of the Vuelta team and rumoured attempts to force a move to Ineos. I dont believe it was anything on moral grounds of "I'm not representing these state sponsored murderers...."

This is a couple of weeks old, but it’s their take on the motivation and the reality of his situation. They seem to think that it won’t be plain sailing for him and that his layoff could be lengthy.


https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racin...gee-saga-shows-need-for-transfer-reform-again

 

[mididoctors]

Absolutely sick of these protests now, one day a rider is going to be seriously hurt or killed but their idiotic actions.

I'm surprised it hasn't happened already tbh. What do you think should be done to stop this happening

 

[Binky]

I'm surprised it hasn't happened already tbh. What do you think should be done to stop the is happening

Very difficult to police an entire stage. Watching stages so far I thought there was a greater overall police presence than on the tdf for example on the climbs but I don't think that was down to protests it was just the way the Spanish police were deployed for spectator control on the climbs, at least that's what it looked like to me.
Even if protests were officially banned then they'd still go on.

 

[Pross]

This is a couple of weeks old, but it’s their take on the motivation and the reality of his situation. They seem to think that it won’t be plain sailing for him and that his layoff could be lengthy.


https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racin...gee-saga-shows-need-for-transfer-reform-again

I'd like to see him make a claim that being on a team so closely linked to a country undertaking illegal actions / genocide is damaging his reputation or something along those lines. He was on the team prior to the October 2023 attacks that led to the significant worsening of things in Gaza so worth a shot.

 

[mididoctors]

I'd like to see him make a claim that being on a team so closely linked to a country undertaking illegal actions / genocide is damaging his reputation or something along those lines. He was on the team prior to the October 2023 attacks that led to the significant worsening of things in Gaza so worth a shot.

I thought it was a deal was a mutual understanding agreement when he left . Basically not saying why he left which translates to me as . We release your contract as long as you sign a NDA along the lines of " I didn't leave because of the genocide"

 

[mididoctors]

Very difficult to police an entire stage. Watching stages so far I thought there was a greater overall police presence than on the tdf for example on the climbs but I don't think that was down to protests it was just the way the Spanish police were deployed for spectator control on the climbs, at least that's what it looked like to me.
Even if protests were officially banned then they'd still go on.

So how do you stop the protests?

 

[Binky]

So how do you stop the protests?

You can't. People will always protest over something or other. What's your solution?

 

[No Ta Doctor]

It seems that the Spanish government’s stance is influencing the police’s actions

https://cyclingreport.substack.com/p/cycling-change-forever-la-vuelta-protests

It seems the more interesting part of that article is behind a paywall - can you summarise for us please?

 

[Blazing Saddles]

I thought it was a deal was a mutual understanding agreement when he left . Basically not saying why he left which translates to me as . We release your contract as long as you sign a NDA along the lines of " I didn't leave because of the genocide"

The cynic in me thinks he’s using the situation to look good, while wriggling out of his current contract in order to join a bigger team on a better salary.

It’s a bit of a gamble, but leaving early usually works out.

 

[No Ta Doctor]

I thought it was a deal was a mutual understanding agreement when he left . Basically not saying why he left which translates to me as . We release your contract as long as you sign a NDA along the lines of " I didn't leave because of the genocide"

Yeah, I thought so as well, so was surprised reading Blazing's link.

And while I'd like to see a moral challenge, as Pross suggests, I think a health and safety challenge is probably a good bet to win - can the employer guarantee your safety? Obviously cycling is a dangerous sport to begin with, but IPT riders are clearly at extra risk while performing their jobs.

 

[mididoctors]

You can't. People will always protest over something or other. What's your solution?

IPT leave the race

 

[Alex321]

I really don't understand why the race organisers can't eliminate them on safety grounds.

 

[Pross]

I really don't understand why the race organisers can't eliminate them on safety grounds.

The UCI being the UCI would probably sanction the organisers.