“He just grabbed the microphone and spoke for all of us” - Remco Evenepoel’s Il Lombardia protest speech revealed as spontaneous move by European champion
Cycling
When Remco Evenepoel took the microphone before the start of Il Lombardia, there was little reason to think that moment had not been planned. The peloton had already agreed to delay the race for five minutes in protest over rider safety, and there at the front stood the European champion, addressing the crowd with the rest of the bunch gathered behind him.
Only the protest had been organised. Evenepoel speaking for it was a decision made there and then. “Honestly, we didn't plan for anyone to really do a speech,” Michael Matthews has revealed on the Domestique Hotseat. “Remco was just at the front because he's European champion, and he just grabbed the microphone and went for it.”
Rider frustration had been growing throughout the season and had taken on a far more painful dimension after the death of 19-year-old Finlay Tarling at the Volta a Portugal in August. More alarming incidents involving vehicles on race routes followed before Lombardia, including during the Italian autumn campaign, and by Bergamo the peloton had decided to act.
Evenepoel ended up being the rider who put that frustration into words. “I think he spoke amazingly. He did a really good job,” Matthews said. “From what I was informed, there was no organisation at all. He just grabbed the microphone and spoke for all of us. So chapeau to him.”
Peloton protest at Il Lombardia 2026
What the riders had actually planned
The five-minute stoppage itself had been discussed for some time, with riders conscious that they wanted to make themselves heard without wrecking Lombardia for the organisers or turning the protest into the story of the race.
The final decision came together late. A smaller group of riders met in the final days before the Monument and settled on a short, peaceful delay at the start.
“I think this discussion was going on for a while,” Matthews explained. “A lot of planning goes into something like this because you don't want to wreck the race or mess up anyone's organisation of a race. There was a group of riders that came together pretty much the night before or two nights before the race. Just a peaceful protest, trying to get our point across that we would like to be safer in races.”
The initiative came from the riders rather than the CPA, with Ben Healy among those involved in bringing the peloton together. Once the five minutes were up, they raced.
What happens if riders decide another statement is required could be similarly informal. Matthews knows of no calendar of protests or centrally coordinated next move, and suggested decisions may simply be taken by the riders at each race depending on what is happening around them.
“I think it's maybe going race by race, whoever's there,” he said. “Maybe if it's just a last-minute thing, they make a small group, whoever's there, from the leaders of each team, and everyone comes together and makes the decision how to go best about it in the situation.”
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“Otherwise the race shouldn’t be able to go ahead”
Matthews also wants races to meet a minimum safety standard across the calendar. He accepts that smaller organisers cannot work with the same resources as a Monument or Grand Tour, but does not believe that should change the basic level of protection riders can expect.
“I understand the smaller races have smaller budgets, but at the same time, if you're going to bring people to a race, I think there should be a standard that has to be set for every single race,” he said. “Otherwise the race shouldn't be able to go ahead, I don't think.”
Repeated incidents involving vehicles reaching roads being used for racing have been central to the anger inside the peloton. Matthews believes more motorbikes and more people positioned along routes could be required at smaller events.
“I think we just want to create awareness that it is happening too much,” he said. “Probably in smaller races, having more motorbikes and more people on the side of the roads to protect us from oncoming traffic or traffic coming onto the course.”
For now, there is no fixed next step after Lombardia. Matthews expects any further action to be decided race by race, while the demands that led to the five-minute stoppage remain unresolved.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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