Vuelta Finale Neutralised After Rider Safety Concerns
Organisers will take general classification times before the finish as teams pressed for a safer final circuit, while a stage winner will still be awarded.
- Organizers neutralised the final 9.8 kilometres of Stage 21 in Granada for general classification purposes after riders raised safety concerns about the finishing circuit.
- Safety concerns regarding slippery roads and hairpins on the Granada circuit prompted the decision; Belgian rider Sander de Pestel argued crashes with 40 kilometres remaining would prevent recovery.
- Following talks between Unipublic, the UCI Commissaires, and the CPA, officials agreed to take general classification times after the fourth of five circuit passages. A stage winner will still be declared.
- Enric Mas of Spain looks set to secure the Vuelta victory, potentially becoming the first Spanish winner in 14 years. The undulating stage favours riders like Wout van Aert and Matthew Brennan.
- This ruling reflects a trend of Grand Tour stage neutralisations in recent years. Similar measures were implemented on Stage 15 at the Giro d'Italia and recent Tour de France finals.
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The organizers of the Vuelta announced in a press release the freezing of time at 9.8 kilometers from the arrival of the 21st and final stage. A decision that triggered a lively controversy.
Enric Mas stands on the verge of overall victory in the Vuelta. The 112-kilometer final stage in Granada turns into a Spanish victory parade, but who will claim the final stage win? Follow the dramatic conclusion live here.
Vuelta finale neutralised after rider safety concerns
Overall times for the riders will be taken 9.8 kilometres from the finish line of the 112km route that starts and ends in Granada and visits the famous Alhambra palace. "The organiser in agreement with the UCI commissaires' panel have decided to neutralise the time for the general individual classification in stage 21 starting with the last local lap at 9.8km before the finish," read a statement. "The bonus seconds at the finish will not be coun…
The last lap to the circuit of the 21st and last stage of the Return to Spain by bicycle, with departure and arrival in Granada, will be neutralized, informed this Sunday organization in communication.
After a request from the riders, the organisation of the Vuelta took a decision regarding the 21st stage arriving in Granada this Sunday.
Granada, 13 Sep (EFE).- The last round of the circuit of the twenty-first and final stage of La Vuelta a España 2026, with departure and arrival in Granada, will be neutralized, the organization reported in a statement. This specifies that, according to the College of Commissars of the International Cycling Union (UCI), "has decided to neutralize [...] The entry The last round of the circuit of stage 21 will be neutralized was first published in…
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