The runners observe a minute of silence before leaving Vitoria in protest at incidents such as the one that cost the lives of two cyclists in Barcelona on Sunday
The Tour of Spain has observed a minute of silence in Vitoria at the start of the fourth stage in memory of the cyclists who were victims of accidents and to demand greater safety on the roads. Last Sunday, a driver left his lane, hit a group of cyclists in Castellbisbal (Barcelona) and left two dead and one seriously injured in his wake. He did not stop, fled and was later arrested. He has a record for crimes against road safety.
One of the athletes who was in the group is the president of the Rubí Cycling Club, Pedro Cancio. His testimony is chilling: «When we were going over a wide bridge past Martorell, a car in front changed lanes and took everyone ahead. He didn’t slow down, he sped up.” For this reason, he does not describe it as an “accident”, but as an “attack”.
Alejandro Valverde was on the first starting line of the stage. The Murcian was run over in June when he was riding with other cyclists on the RM-560 road that connects Alcantarilla and Javalí Viejo, in Murcia. He had to spend a day under observation in a hospital. The 69-year-old driver fled, although he ended up turning himself in at the local police station in La Alberca.
The outrage, according to witnesses, was voluntary. The car passed very close – without keeping the safety distance – to the group of cyclists in which Valverde was riding and received recrimination from the athletes. The driver braked, stood up to the group and ran over three of the cyclists, one of them Valverde. One of the bikes was broken “in half”. Against such acts, the Vuelta has silently shown its rejection.
