Johan Bruyneel: "Cyclists are beginning to have power, to make their voices heard"

Johan Bruyneel, accompanied by Víctor Hugo Peña, analyzed the first stages of the Vuelta a España on Lance Armstrong's Spanish version podcast 'La Movida'. The cyclist and sports director gave his opinion on the controversies experienced by the riders in the first stages and, although he did not agree with them that in the stage that ended in Barcelona the times were taken 9 kilometers from the finish line, he valued positively the fact that the UCI and the race organizers are beginning to listen to the cyclists.

"Cyclists are beginning to have some power, to get their voices heard, and that is positive. because the same day at the Renewi Tour a similar decision was made, there too the request of the cyclists was granted, I think this is positive," he argued. 

Bruyneel, however, spoke of the negative side of the decision that the overall times were taken a few kilometers before the finish line: "The negative thing is that when these decisions are made, the charm of the stage victory is lost, because in both races the stages were contested by 15 or 20 riders, they know that they can stop at that point and they leave it."

"For example, the stage of Andreas Kron in the Vuelta, the guy came first at the top and rode a lot, but it loses a little value, it's something to see. It's good to listen to them because they know what happens and if there are many complaints it's for a reason, but you must create a system that can always be applied".