Miguel Ángel López has parted company with the Movistar WorldTour team following the controversy over his withdrawal from La Vuelta on the penultimate day.
The Colombian rider climbed off his bike while sitting 3rd overall but after missing a key split in the general classification group on the 202km stage 20 to Mos. Castro de Herville.
There were reports in the Spanish-speaking media he was told by his team to stop chasing to protect his position. It was suggested he reacted badly to this and decided to climb off his bike in protest.
He would have slipped to around 5th in the final standings, which was still a good result, and some of his team personnel also tried to talk him into continuing when he was still at the roadside. However, he was unwilling to get back onto his bike and finish the stage.
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It was a massive turn of events for him and the team as Movistar had Enric Mas and López 2nd and 3rd overall at the time, behind race leader Primož Roglič (Jumbo Visma). López had also won arguably the hardest stage of the race just 48 hours earlier, atop Altu d'El Gamoniteiru.
Mas went on to finish 2nd and while López would have been around 5th overall after the penultimate stage, and may have lost further time in the final day's TT, a stage win and top 10 result would have represented a good Vuelta, especially with Mas also on the podium.
While he made an apology in a team statement, his wife and father-in-law were outspoken on social media, implying there was much more to the controversy than people were aware of. Some Colombian politicians also spoke out, saying the South American riders in Movistar had always been treated poorly in comparison to the Spanish riders.
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Movistar has said today López will officially leave the team at the end of this month, meaning he will not even see out the one-year contract he was on this year. As well as that contract being dissolved, another two-year deal - for 2022 and 2023 signed just before La Vuelta - is also dissolved.
The team said in a statement that the parting of ways had been agreed by "mutual consent".
“Abarca Sports announces today the resolution by mutual
agreement of the contract of the rider Miguel Ángel López, as of next October 1st,”
the team said in a brief statement.
“The team thanks Miguel Ángel López for his efforts and results
throughout this season, and wishes him good luck for the future.”
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