Plugge, Vingegaard, and Visma | Lease a Bike are sick and tired of it: "The public shouldn’t mess with the riders"

Visma | Lease a Bike made it through the day unscathed, apart from losing the ill Victor Campenaerts at the start. Still, red jersey Jonas Vingegaard, who had a brief scare with a puncture, finished with a bitter taste afterwards.

“It’s a shame this is happening again. Everyone has the right to protest, but it’s unfortunate that it has to be here and in this way, preventing us from finishing the race,” he said via his team. “That should not happen. The team worked really well today, and I would have liked to honor their work in the finale. It’s a pity the Spanish cycling fans didn’t get to see an exciting finish.”

Visma | Lease a Bike CEO Richard Plugge also spoke up. “It’s really unfortunate that this decision had to be made again to guarantee the riders’ safety. As long as the race organization and the UCI allow the Vuelta to continue, I assume they can also ensure that it happens in full safety.”

“But this is already the second time they’ve had to reconsider this during the race, and it affects the outcome. I want to once again call on the public not to interfere with our riders and the competition,” Plugge said. “At the same time, I urge the organizers to do everything possible to secure the event, so that we can all enjoy an exciting battle in the final week of the Vuelta.”