Tinkoff-Saxo have demanded an apology from Vuelta a España organisers and called for the UCI to review rules after their top sprinter, Peter Sagan, was hit by a motorbike at high speed causing him second degree burns and forcing him to abandon the tour.
The Slovak rider, who won his fourth Tour de France green jersey in succession in July and was in contention for his first in the Vuelta, was accidentally hit by a neutral service bike weaving through a group of riders during stage eight on Sunday. Sagan was left with cuts and burns to the left side of his body as well as a contusion on his left arm.
Sagan was livid and was seen kicking his bike and another motorbike. He was later fined for abusive language and received a separate fine for “behaviour that damages the image of cycling”.
In an open letter addressed to the event organiser, Unipublic, and Brian Cookson, the president of the UCI, Tinkoff-Saxo wrote: “The facts are clear and beyond discussion: the driver of the motorcycle carelessly and improperly tried to overtake the reduced peloton at very high speed about 8km from the finish line apparently in an attempt to reach the leading three riders a few seconds in front.”
The letter requested a list of five actions: an apology from Unipublic; a donation to charity from Unipublic equal to the value of the green jersey; measures taken to prevent a future incident; Sagan’s fine for damaging the image of cycling to be revoked; and the UCI to initiate a review of the rules of “the admission to vehicles’ drivers inside the race … with the intent of implementing appropriate rules changes no later than the start of the 2016 race season.”
RT if you agree with our position regarding the accident involving @petosagan at @lavuelta http://t.co/ji8HtkKsge pic.twitter.com/VeDbI266NP
— Tinkoff Saxo (@tinkoff_saxo) September 2, 2015
The statement added: “It is clear that the driver should not have performed the overtaking of the peloton and – at a minimum – he failed to use adequate care in his attempt. The crash at high speed could have had much more severe consequences for the rider who was defenceless against such an action by the motorcycle’s driver.”
Sagan said after the incident: “I didn’t even hear the motorbike coming. I find it unacceptable that a motorbike tries to weave its way into the group at such high speed.
“They accelerate and try to sneak in when they see an empty space. However, they don’t take into consideration that a rider might fall in front of them or change direction. They go extremely fast and the difference of speed compared to the riders is enormous.”
Kris Boeckmans, who was injured during the same stage when he crashed while taking a drink, is to remain in an induced coma for several more days. The Lotto-Soudal rider suffered broken ribs and facial fractures as well as an injury to his lung causing the need for breathing assistance, but is reportedly in a stable condition.
