Professional Cyclists Stage Safety Protest Before Start of Giro di Lombardia

Professional cyclists delayed the start of the Giro di Lombardia by five minutes on Saturday, staging a stationary protest to demand better safety measures following a series of collisions involving vehicles on race routes.

Protest Details at the Giro di Lombardia Start

After race organizers completed the countdown, the peloton remained stationary on the road. The unexpected pause created a brief moment of confusion before Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel addressed the crowd gathered for the start. Evenepoel pointed directly to recent tragedies and vehicle infractions on active courses. “Unfortunately we lost the life of a brother and of a colleague of us, so we want to make this statement to show to the world that we cannot keep accepting the fact that guys are getting injured or literally dying in what we like the most to do,” the double Olympic champion said.

Evenepoel referenced the death of British cyclist Finlay Tarling, the younger brother of Netcompany Ineos rider Josh Tarling. Finlay Tarling died after a collision with a vehicle during the Tour of Portugal on August 14. The protest also followed an incident earlier in the week during the Tre Valli Varesine race, where Thomas Gloag and Marcel Camprubi were struck by a police motorcycle traveling in the opposite direction.

Demands and Response From Governing Bodies

“This week alone, there were multiple incidents of vehicles on race courses,” the union stated. “This summer, a life was tragically lost to exactly this kind of failure. We will not stand for this any longer.”

Cyclists operate at high speeds with minimal physical protection, relying entirely on the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and local organizers to secure routes. The CPA called on cycling’s governing body to ensure race organizers take responsibility for road security. After the five-minute mark passed, the peloton resumed riding toward Como. “We did not want to affect the race, only to show what riders can do when we stand as one,” the CPA statement noted.

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