Bahrain Victorious 'stands by' Fred Wright after Primož Roglič blames him for Vuelta a España ending crash
Jumbo-Visma star says Wright “rode the handlebars out of my hands”
Bahrain Victorious has pledged to "stand by" Fred Wright after Primož Roglič and his Jumbo-Visma team publicly blamed him for the crash that ended the Slovenian’s Vuelta a España challenge.
The Slovenian rider had sat second overall in the Spanish Grand Tour prior to the incident, which saw him sent flying to the ground after a late collision with Wright on stage 16.
On Friday an article appeared on the official website of the Dutch team in which Roglič directly called out Fred Wright, laying the blame firmly at the British riders door for the incident. In the piece the three-time Vuelta winner attributed his fall to Wright’s actions in the sprint.
He said: “Not everyone saw it correctly. The crash was not caused by a bad road or a lack of safety but by a rider's behaviour. I don't have eyes on my back. Otherwise, I would have run wide. Wright came from behind and rode the handlebars out of my hands before I knew it."
In the run into the line on stage 16, the Slovenian dramatically swung from his line on the front of the select group along with eventual stage winner Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo). The Jumbo-Visma rider eventually moved back into position clashing handlebars with Wright as they both sprinted for the stage win.
He added: "This was not okay. This shouldn't happen. People move on swiftly as if nothing happened. For me, that doesn't apply. This is not the way I want the sport to continue and I want to make that clear.”
Later this evening Bahrain responded with a statement of its own saying it stood by the 23-year-old Briton.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
It said: “Unfortunately crashes are a part of our sport and this isn’t the first, nor will it be the last, even though riders do their best to avoid them. The race footage supports this: our rider does not deviate from his racing line before the incident.
“We also believe that if a team has certain feelings about an incident on the road, the place to take those up is with the commissaires after the stage rather than a statement online some days later.”
Wright himself added: “I don’t think the statement is fair to be honest, as the footage shows it was a simple racing incident, but I also appreciate that Primož was challenging for the red jersey here at La Vuelta. And of course I did send him a private message after the stage to see if he was ok.”
The Londoners team said that statements like the Jumbo one "lead to vitriol and hate" towards riders in the public eye and to see another squad make them was "most disappointing".
It added: "Fred is kind, generous, and incredibly talented. He does not deserve the comments or sentiments that have been directed towards him in recent days."
In the Jumbo-Visma piece Roglič explained that he is now feeling “slightly better” after the incident but was unsure as to whether he can continue racing this year.
He said: “I can walk a little bit. I am happy with that for the moment. After the crash, it took me time to straighten things out. I asked myself: how can this be? My conclusion is that the way this crash happened is unacceptable.
Neither Bahrain nor Wright addressed directly the somewhat bizarre way the Jumbo-Visma article had linked the crash suffered by their rider to the wide issue of rider safety. In it team manager Richard Plugge even went as far as to compare the crash to the horrific incident at the 2019 Tour de Pologne between Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider Fabio Jakobsen and Dylan Groenewegen.
Plugge said: “Research has been done into numerous racing incidents. They have been mapped out in a database. The causes were categorised. Obstacles, for example. As well as 'rider's own fault' or 'other rider's fault'. We are right to talk about unsafe spots in a course, such as the threshold in Burgos. However, research shows that the riders' cycling behaviour is to blame for a crash in about half the cases. Not braking, but pushing through, for example.”
“It doesn't surprise me because every rider has the will to win. I would like to say: brake and use your brains. It requires a change of behaviour, driven by awareness and consistent judging.
Plugge then continued to explain that he was glad the Slovenian was “speaking out” and “naming the behaviour of riders as well”.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Tom joined Cycling Weekly in early 2022 and his news stories, rider interviews and features appear both online and in the magazine.
He has reported from some of professional cycling's biggest races and events including the Tour de France and the recent Glasgow World Championships. He has also covered races elsewhere across the world and interviewed some of the sport's top riders.
When not writing news scoops from the WorldTour, or covering stories from elsewhere in the domestic professional scene, he reports on goings on at bike shops up and down the UK, where he is based when not out on the road at races. He has also appeared on the Radio Cycling podcast.
-
Customizable titanium race bikes without the eye-watering price tag: Blackheart's Road Ti bike reviewed
The Road Ti offers that calm and refined feel for a fraction of the cost of other titanium racing bikes.
By Greg Kaplan Published
-
Kasia Niewiadoma wins La Flèche Wallonne, first road victory for five years
The Canyon-Sram rider took her first road victory for five years on the Mur de Huy
By Adam Becket Published
-
Primož Roglič to miss Liège-Bastogne-Liège in order to recover for Tour de France
Slovenian was caught up in the horror crash on stage four of Itzulia Basque country
By Adam Becket Published
-
Jonas Vingegaard, Primož Roglič and Remco Evenepoel caught up in huge crash at Itzulia Basque Country
Race neutralised as horror crash sees three of the favourites caught up in incident
By Adam Becket Published
-
British National Road Championships return to Saltburn in 2024
The events will take place in the north east of England for the second year running
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'We were lucky with the weather': Brandon McNulty admits rain helped UAE Emirates edge Paris-Nice stage three team time trial
American pulled on the yellow jersey after a rain soaked finale to stage three in Auxerre
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Matteo Jorgenson, Visma-Lease a Bike’s new star, continues to impress at Paris-Nice
The American could step into the leaders yellow jersey on Tuesday evening after stage three’s team time trial in Auxerre
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'Hacking into a headwind': Fred Wright on stress free stage two of Paris-Nice
British national champion looking for opportunities to go on the attack in the coming stages at Paris-Nice
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers delighted with Egan Bernal’s late cameo on stage one of Paris-Nice
Colombian snapped up key bonus seconds in the general classification battle on run in to Les Mureaux
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'You have to be open to everything' - Primož Roglič ahead of his Bora-Hansgrohe debut at Paris-Nice
Roglič up against Remco Evenepoel for the first time in 2024 as he gets set for a return to the Tour de France
By Tom Thewlis Published