"The way the UCI have dealt with this is ridiculous" - Adam Blythe critical as fallout continues from stage 11 of La Vuelta 2024
Cycling
Stage 11 of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana saw a major flash point, when Richard Carapaz ended up in a ditch as the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team attempted to barricade the road and stop any more riders going the established breakaway.
The fallout from incident is still being felt a few days later. Carapaz cited a lack of respect from Decathlon riders, claiming he's still yet to recieve an apology, as Red Jersey wearer Ben O'Connor insisted his team have nothing to apologise for, having not done anything wrong.
"I've been in that situation, you're at the front trying to block a road. You move your hand out. And I can imagine he will have whacked Carapaz's handlebars,” analyses former British national champion Adam Blythe on 'The Breakaway' for Eurosport. “But as Carapaz says, even if it wasn't intentional, you should still come and say sorry."
The UCI's handling of the situation has also left something to be desired in the minds of many though, with some unhappy by the governing bodies' trigger happiness when it comes to dishing out their new yellow cards.
“The UCI have just looked at the situation, gone 'there's a big kerfuffle around this, there's too much noise, we need to give a fine - pick one of the riders to give a fine to,'" Blythe says. "And the rider they picked, which is embarrassing for them, was on the other side of the road. The way the UCI have dealt with this is ridiculous."
On stage 13 this Friday afternoon, O'Connor, Carapaz, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team and EF Education-EasyPost will get the chance to go to war on the roads with a potentially decisive day in the high mountains. How much, if anything this ongoing drama has taken out of their mental reserves remains to be seen, but the situation has certainly added a little extra spice to the Red Jersey fight at the 2024 Vuelta a Espana.
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.
claps 2visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I see (elsewhere) that Alaphilippe had more to say than what got relayed in this stub. Me: he was very good early but his latter third trajectory was the pits. His old boss did what he could (huffed and puffed) but Julian couldn't get his greatness back. Sometimes I wonder if crashes that didn't look like much changed the course of the rider.flyer14-11-2026
- I wouldn't classify it as a gift because the nasty consequences of taking it from Sepp would have been great and would persist and he knew it.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. Tratnik's good and Red Bull's better so Tratnik may get what he wants.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. So just saying he wasn't enjoying racing anymore is some kind of explanation? Me saying I don't enjoy his explanation is more explaining than he did.flyer14-11-2026
- Buitrago, was he their best rider in 2026? He's the chief loss for them and Martinez and Tiberi (especially) have to step up or they will be overtaken by Bahrain's younger riders like Omrzel. I'm still somewhat high on Martinez but Tiberi, after showing signs of promise, has fizzled. Bahrain still has a good team but they need to improve and exceed expectations. I'd be happy if Mohoric could manage to return to his better form for maybe one last year at least.flyer14-11-2026
- Hmmm, "... I just gained 30 seconds purely off the bike. Because it's really a big, big improvement compared to the previous bike". Is that marketing for Specialized or serious valid hype, or something in between? Very likely the former.flyer14-11-2026
- Nothing revelatory or controversial. Why do we have to report on Bruyneel's or Armstrong's thinking. It's a shame and enough that the Move's on TV and that people watch it .flyer14-11-2026
- Makes sense that training from home is a big asset or advantage but it's still remarkable that he can put in three quality majors and not pay some heavy price for the exertion. I wish he would have won that tour stage that his crash while leading allowed Carapaz the win. He's a darn good rider and teammate.flyer14-11-2026
- Sounds like we all agree with the over under exaggeration: "The German’s signing does not guarantee that Evenepoel will win the Tour in 2027. "flyer14-11-2026
- Seixas appears to be that good but if he isn't (an absolute rival to Pogacar) he would have plenty of company in rising stars that did not go on to fully meet the expectations of many. That Pogacar wasn't the greatest (as great) sooner can't be transposed onto another's development. It may be not that simple.flyer14-11-2026
Loading
1 Comments