Wout Poels files complaint after being hit by García Cortina at Volta a Catalunya, details spat with Nairo Quintana: "I jokingly added whether he was on Tramadol again"
CyclingWednesday, 27 March 2024 at 10:05
Wout Poels rode to 11th at the Volta a Catalunya and finished fourth at the Port Ainé summit finish, but perhaps the most striking highlights of his race were clashes with Movistar riders, more specifically Ivan García Cortina and Nairo Quintana.
"We rode on a final climb and I felt good. I wanted to move up, but no one let me in. I decided to ride behind [Enric] Mas. That meant that I ended up riding next to Quintana. Maybe that's annoying, but it wasn't that I wanted to push him away," Poels shares in the In Koers podcast. "But at one point he elbowed me," the Dutchman tells. In a non-critical moment of the race the Colombian fought back for his position and what followed was an exchange of words that Poels recalls.
"Then I asked him why he did that. And why he was immediately so aggressive. I jokingly added whether he was on Tramadol again. I think he understood me. Afterwards I thought maybe I shouldn't have said it. But he himself was stupid enough to use it in the Tour de France," the Bahrain - Victorious rider hits back. This did not affect the outcome of the race for the veteran climber, but he continues to tell that Quintana was not the only rider with whom he had contact over the week of racing in Catalan roads.
"There was a lot of pressure at the top [of the climb]. Then [Iván García] Cortina intervened just before the top. He straightened up and delivered a punch to my upper arm. My upper arms aren't that developed though, so it really hurt," he tells. "I thought I couldn't let him get away with it. We always talk about safety and then you have a rider like that."
Poels was however particularly distraught by this incident, confused by the actions of the Movistar rider, who did not apologize after the stage, Poels tells: "After the finish I went to see the UCI and they have a VAR. I made an official complaint there, because several riders saw it."
"He got away with it very well with a small fine and some deduction from his UCI points. I thought he would come to say sorry, but I didn't see him. A truly sad figure."
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6 Comments
So first he took advantage of another rider's help going uphill, then he was surprised by the leader's dissatisfaction, decided to remind him of the worst years of his life, when he lost sponsors, team, and good reputation, and in the end, he was surprised that he got hit by one of his teammates and decided to report it to UCI. There is logic."
Erm, did he take advantage in any way that other riders don’t? Was he pulling on someone’s saddle or what?
He got manhandled by Quintana! I wouldn’t have told anyone about it.
Why not, it could increase your value when you get actioned off to some perverted memorabilia collector ;-)
Not surprised by the conflicts within the peloton, but interesting to see things discussed so openly.
Always easier to do when there are witnesses to back you up
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