Richard Plugge hits the nail on the head: "As a public figure, it’s incredibly difficult to share an opinion on these kinds of matters"

In Spain, Plugge had managed to organize a last-minute celebration for Vingegaard and co. in the parking lot of the team hotel. How did that come about? The idea came from Tom Pidcock’s mother, which set the team boss of Q36.5 into action, who then contacted Plugge. Together with CMO Jasper Saeijs, he quickly made it happen.

And so the big stars of one of the biggest cycling races of the year ended up standing on coolers, celebrating the fact that they had just emerged as winners of a grand tour. “A special celebration, but one I will never forget,” Vingegaard thanked the leadership of his own team for the innovative way of thinking on Sunday evening.

Richard, how do you organize a party like that in such a short time, while not everyone is supposed to know about it?
“By calling the right people and telling them it had to be kept quiet for a while. If it shows up on social media, you never know who may or may not decide to show up. And we had to be sure that everyone could actually make it. Some people were still stuck in the center of Madrid.”

Weren’t you worried it could still get ruined?
“When we finally started letting people know it was happening, there were only fifteen minutes to go. At that point, you’d have to move really quickly to still get there.”

How much time was there between the call from the Q36.5 team boss and the moment they were actually standing on the podium?
“About forty-five minutes, something like that. Or rather: within forty-five minutes everyone was there, and within an hour everything was set up. UAE was the farthest away from the location, and they showed up with the whole team because they’d won the team classification. All in all, it was super fun.”

“At first, Jonas was like: yeah, but I’ve already changed clothes… but once they saw what was happening, they also thought it was great. We really got to pause together for a moment, and that makes me proud as a team, that we managed to pull it off and make it happen.”

In a sport where all teams are always battling each other.
“Of course, I know all those guys well. Mauro Gianetti from UAE, Luca Guercilena from Lidl–Trek, Kjell Carlström from Israel–Premier Tech, and Q36.5, though they were of course the ones who called me.”

Did the Vuelta organization also know about it?
“I called them too, because of course we needed the banners, prizes, and jerseys. We needed them as well, and that worked out. They were really stuck in the city center, but still managed to quickly round someone up from somewhere. It was very makeshift and came from a sad circumstance, but at the same time it was really beautiful.

What I found so great was that everyone wanted to help each other. Hanging up the backdrop, but also things like lighting. Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe suddenly showed up with construction lights, because it was dark. Everyone started pitching in, and that was really cool.”

After all these events, are you worried?
“No. In general, the protesters demonstrated with respect for the sport. We’ve seen people on the roadside before with their messages. Sport is a big stage, and cycling too, so it attracts attention. But I also believe people’s common sense goes far enough to keep the sport intact and preserve the fun for so many fans.”

But on Sunday you saw a lot of hate?
“It really culminated into something very big in Madrid. Maybe it could have been handled differently, but in my view there was no noble cause behind it anymore. It was more like: how can we ruin this and break through it. It wasn’t about asking for attention anymore, it was about destroying. I hope, and expect, that this won’t happen very often.”

So weren’t they just hooligans?
“I find it hard to call it that. But watch out: it was very intense. Riders were attacked, and you think: that’s just a rider? They had just ridden 100 kilometers and then they were attacked and pulled off their bikes. In my opinion, that has nothing to do with the cause you’re supposedly pursuing.”

Do you really believe in people’s common sense?
“In Canada and at other races it wasn’t so bad. I hope that common sense prevails and that everyone just demonstrates along the roadside.”

Is the solution ‘Israel–Premier Tech must leave’ really that simple?
“A few years ago, we had the Vuelta start in Utrecht, with a team time trial. Back then they tried to disrupt the start of INEOS. I think there can often be a reason for these kinds of things to happen, and it’s up to the UCI to make a ruling on which teams are allowed to participate and which aren’t. And above that, the IOC, when it comes to sport as a whole. I’m not the one who decides who participates.”  

The UCI issued a statement the day after the Vuelta. Have they done enough?
“They might have been able to give the Vuelta a bit more support, but on the other hand: it’s easy to think that in hindsight. What are you going to do, what are you going to say? The UCI falls under the IOC, and they also have their own guidelines. It’s difficult enough as it is.”

Why don’t you, as riders and/or teams, speak out?
“That’s up to everyone personally. As an individual, it’s incredibly difficult to form an opinion on these kinds of matters, and then also have to share it as a public figure. People already have opinions about us, and then you have to say something about it while in reality you know very little or don’t have the right information.

That doesn’t just apply to this specific issue. You really need to have studied something thoroughly or have a lot of expertise before you can express an opinion publicly. Especially with topics as sensitive as this, it’s wise to first make sure you’re properly informed before taking a stance. Because the reactions, on both sides, can be extremely fierce.”