The Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta del Sol, was rocked by farmer protests, resulting in the cancellation of the first and second stages. The shortage of police officers in the region made it impossible to safely monitor the race. However, the organization has outlined a plan to hold a shorter competition next Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Consequences of farmers’ protests on Ruta del Sol
Farmer protests in the region forced the Guardia Civil and other police departments to halt race security. After the cancellation of the first stage, the continuation of the race week was uncertain. The second stage, scheduled for this Thursday (15.02), was also cancelled.
The planned route for the day included the difficult climb to Cádiar, as well as the mountain stage to Puerto del Sol and Portillo de Martos. Unfortunately, this stage has also been canceled due to current circumstances.
Reduced edition of Ruta del Sol 2024
In order to avoid further cancellations, the race organizers presented a plan B for the remaining days. This plan includes a 5km individual time trial in Alcaudete on Friday and a 100km mountain stage on Saturday. The final race on Sunday will be held as originally planned.
This revised schedule means that Ruta del Sol participants will have their training programs disrupted as they will accumulate less mileage ahead of the main events taking place in the spring.
Among the runners affected are Juan Ayuso, Tim Wellens, Marc Soler, Santiago Buitrago, Jack Haig, Axel Laurance, Gianni Vermeersch, Ruben Guerreiro, Maxim Van Gils and Felix Gall.