The stoppage followed mounting safety concerns in Italian Classics and the death of Finlay Tarling.
The Start Line Stoppage in Bergamo
Suspicions of an impending demonstration arose moments before the flag dropped, when Evenepoel, Tom Pidcock, and Giulio Ciccone approached senior race officials on the start line. The master of ceremonies had already begun the 10-second countdown when the peloton remained completely stationary. Race speakers initially announced a minor delay before handing Evenepoel a microphone in the center of Bergamo.
Evenepoel addressed the public in English on behalf of the entire professional bunch. He emphasized that riders refuse to accept further injuries or fatalities while competing, stating: We want to make this statement because there’s too many incidents happening with vehicles in the race.
He added: Unfortunately we lost the life of a brother and of a colleague of us, so we want to make this statement to show to the world that we cannot keep accepting the fact that guys are getting injured or literally dying in what we like the most to do.
He also stated: This is a signal to all organizers of cycling races. Sometimes riders even die.
The speech earned immediate applause from both spectators and fellow riders gathered for the final Monument of the season.
| Key Figure / Official | Affiliation / Role | Stance Expressed |
|---|---|---|
| Remco Evenepoel | Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe | Delivered live speech demanding vehicle-free courses. |
| Tom Pidcock | Pinarello-Q36.5 | Co-signed joint statement calling for UCI accountability. |
| Adam Hansen | CPA President | Shared unified rider safety demands publicly. |
A Unified Demand for UCI Accountability
Simultaneously, Tom Pidcock published a joint statement on Instagram, which CPA president Adam Hansen also shared. The text highlighted recent dangers, including an incident earlier in the week at Tre Valli Varesine where two riders crashed into a motorbike driving the wrong way on the route. Pidcock admitted he nearly stopped riding then following those near-misses. Various other riders posted the same joint statement, which read: As riders, we stand united against the unnecessary risk our lives are being subjected to,
and noted that two riders crashed when they hit a motorbike who was driving the wrong way on the race route.
The text added that luckily both escaped with cuts and bruises, it could have been so much worse,
and emphasized: We will no longer tolerate this.
The riders’ manifesto explicitly targets the governing bodies. The peloton demanded an open dialogue to secure concrete structural changes for future events, calling for a serious, open conversation between riders, race organisers and the UCI resulting in concrete changes to how race routes are secured and managed.
The riders also stressed: We love this sport. We respect the organizers. We want to race hard and put on a show for our fans. But above all, we also want to get home safely to our loved ones.
Organizer Response and Resumed Racing
After holding their position for five minutes, the riders allowed the race to proceed. The peloton returned to racing normally to complete the Italian Monument.
