Movistar has
issued a qualified apology after it drove on the front of the reduced peloton
following a crash with just over 60km remaining on stage 19 of La Vuelta today.
However, while the team said it was sorry, it has stuck with its insistence that it had always planned to try and split the race at that point on the course.
It claimed it did
not take advantage of the crash and added a protocol for such situations should
be worked out.
“The Movistar
Team would like to apologise for the events that happened during today’s Vuelta stage,” its brief statement began.
“Our way of
proceeding followed exclusively the strategy we had outlined before the race
and was in no way a means of taking advantage of our rivals’ crashes.
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“We wish that events like those happened in La Vuelta today help us reach, for the benefit of all,
a sole set of criteria, both for teams and race commissaires, on how to proceed
when such situations arise.”
The
apology, of sorts, follows criticism of the team, which rode on the front after
the bad crash that saw many riders fall hard at speed.
Race leader Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) was held up in the fall, as was Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana).
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And
though both riders got back on and lost no time, after chasing, Lopez was
furious.
He
said the Movistar tactics were typical of what people had come to expect from
the team.
The apology comes after fans' footage (two videos below) recorded by the roadside shows how the crash happened.
"I thought it was a very bad thing
to do and showed lack of respect to the leader's jersey, not for the first
time," Lopez said.
"They are the typical types who
make the most of these moments. They always play dumb."
We wish that events like those happened in #LaVuelta19 today help us reach, for the benefit of all, a sole set of criteria, both for teams and race commissaires, on how to proceed when such situations arise.
— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) September 13, 2019
Be advised the following videos show high-speed crash
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