«What worries me is that runners can develop their work without any problem. That generates concernfear that something happens, but what we want is not to happen, ”says Javier Guillén, the director of the Tour of Spain, who lives his most difficult edition since he assumed the command of Unipublic, the organizing company of the race, in 2009.
Now the final stage in Madrid worries. “L’Equipe” published on Sunday that this stage will be suspended and the return will end on Saturday in the ball of the world. A news that was immediately denied by the organization and withdrawal shortly after the French newspaper website.
«The Madrid stage does not danger at any time And we work on that scenario. Predicting the future is impossible, but of course in the present that we have, in Madrid all our plans are. And also We have no other plan that is not Madrid, ”Guillén reassures. “I am worried about all the stages, I have the same concern in all, the same concentration, the same intensity,” he adds.
The return is lived with concern from within. Sunday, two runners –Javier Romo, from Movistar, and Edward Planckert, from Alpecin – went to the ground After a protester threatened to pounce on the platoon and a civil guard crossed in front of the runners to try to stop him. «That fall can be bad for the corridor, but it is also dangerous for the public and even for the person who causes it, ”Guillén reflects. “It is a great disgust,” he adds. «A platoon at 70 per hour is very dangerous, that drews you and I don’t want to think what can happen. And the consequences on the platoon are exactly equally dramatic, ”he says.
The previous Wednesday, the organization was forced to suspend the last three kilometers of the stage that ended in Bilbao and declare the deserted stage, without winner, for the risk of invasion on arrival. «In the end it was all very unpleasant. Especially since everyone stayed with a great disgust: the city, we … had to make a sporting decision that I think went well, but of course, that end, I believe that the return, cycling, the public that accompanies us did not deserve it, ”says Guillén.
Las protests For the presence of the Israel team they repeat themselves, but the director of the race He does not find a reason for the turn and not in other races. «No, I can’t find it, but that would force me to analyze what happens in other careers and what happens in other countries. Nor is it a matter of analyzing. I don’t know what it can have to do, but here there is a great mobilization about this issue, ”he assumes.
«What we have to do so that the stages can be developed is first of all those who want to state that of course, but do it peacefully. Second, work on the safety of the runners so that they can run in a normal and third way, that everything that involves a normal development of the return because we continue to do it and that we do not look affected by the tensions we are living, ”says Guillén. The return does its job and No team has threatened to leave. “That has some channels, but nobody has told us ” So we follow. ” Honestly not, but in no case we have been raised, neither individually or collectively, ”he explains.
From the career car, Guillén has not been afraid “personally.” “Step concern, step concernWhat worries me is that runners can develop their work without any problem. That generates concern, fear of something happens, “he explains. The most difficult return.
