Strong criticism of influencer’s 'sexist comments', which caught Pogačar off guard at the Vuelta a España

The Vuelta a España is underway, and not only cycling fans but also the riders have taken notice. Spanish influencer Erola Jons was hired, at least for the first two days, by the race organisers to film videos and conduct interviews. However, Jons’s attitude and lack of cycling knowledge drew harsh criticism on social media.

The criticism began when the first footage of Jons at the Vuelta a España was released. At first, these were short clips in which, among other things, she openly flirted with a mechanic from UAE Emirates-XRG and asked the organisers who the riders actually were.

When she realised that Tadej Pogačar, the winner of Stage 1 in Monaco, was sitting in a van waiting for the awards ceremony, Pons decided to stand by the stairs to try to get a quote from the Slovenian world champion. Pogačar glanced back once and quickly realised he didn’t want to waste his time there.

After Pogačar had received the red jersey and stepped out of the van, Pons seized her chance to ask the overall leader a question. Her question was: “Why do you hyperventilate every time you see me?” Pogacar was momentarily at a loss for words, but regained his composure and brushed it off with a brief: “I breathe 24/7.”

Laura Meseguer, who works for Eurosport at the Vuelta a España, was not pleased with Jons’ behavior. The journalist is frustrated that the influencer drew attention to herself in this way. "Many women have spent years fighting to expand our space in a male-dominated sport, so that we are treated with respect and have the same opportunities as everyone else,” she wrote on Instagram.

"It is a serious mistake to hire someone with absolutely no knowledge of the sport, whose content will be based on this series of sexist comments that we women have been trying to escape from for decades," continues Meseguer.

"It is a lack of respect towards us, towards the female professionals working here and, above all, towards the cyclists. No one should have to put up with being treated like an object, neither women nor men," she concluded.