A major setback for the organizers of the Rota do Sol. The inaugural race from Almunécar to Cadiar was canceled due to protests by farmers. There is still no clear information about the continuation of the competition.
Ruta del Sol organizers cannot guarantee the safety of the event and its participants, and therefore the opening stage has been cancelled. “We just heard this from the organization,” said Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck) in Spain. “There is no word yet on whether it will continue. They are in a meeting about this.”
Absence of police and roadblock
“There is a blockade after forty kilometers of the race and the police have been called to work elsewhere”, explains Dirk Demol, head of Lotto Dstny. “There were no alternative routes. We are trying to organize training, but we also don’t know where we can go.”
On the first day, the organization had planned a route of 162.3 kilometers between Almuñécar and Cádiar, with Alto de Itrabo (3.7 km at 9.2%), Alto de Lanjarón (14.9 km at 3.4% ), Puerto de Trevélez (32.9 km at 3.2%) and a climb of 3.3 kilometers at 7.6% in the final.
Farmer protests impact sports in several European countries
These demonstrations are not just happening in Spain. In recent months, we have seen massive strikes and protests across Europe, initiated by the agricultural sector, due to increasing regulatory pressure from the European Union. This also affects cycling. For example, the opening stage of the Etoile de Bességes was canceled due to farmer protests.
The organization of the race confirmed on its official account on X, the cancellation of the stage, attributing the decision to the lack of Civil Guard agents due to the farmers’ protests.
The continuation of the competition and the implementation of future stages will be decided in a new meeting in the future.