The group stands united for riders who were stopped by the UCI after the war
from 23/05/22
The riders of the Giro d'Italia ask for concrete help for their colleagues
Why can some of us race and others cannot?
Why don't we find a solution to the problem together?
Why don't we all pedal towards freedom, equality and fraternity?
Why don't we show that sport unites and doesn't divide?
Why don't we make peace prevail at least in the little big world of cycling?
The Giro d'Italia is ready to face its last and decisive week of racing, while some members of the peloton
have now been out of action for over two and a half months. The CPA, the International Association of
Professional Riders, explained the meaning of the blue bracelet with the inscription Why? that riders are
using these days in the Giro. They want to send a message of support to the athletes of different
nationalities of the Pro Tour team whose UCI license was revoked on 1 March by the International Cycling
Union following the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after the outbreak of
war in Ukraine.
There are 53 families involved in this case: a total of 164 people, mostly Europeans, who overnight found
themselves with no work, no salary, no present and no future in cycling without a logical reason. Among
them are many young people, skilled professionals, fathers and mothers, who are asking for help so that
they do not have to put an end to their careers.
«Since the emergence of the problem, we have tried in every way to facilitate dialogue between the UCI
and the team to find a solution, unfortunately without success. It was not possible to let these athletes
continue to race in a neutral jersey or to give them the opportunity to join other teams, as we had
requested. Like all of us, the 21 riders involved in this case are absolutely opposed to and uninvolved in
the war, but they are directly paying the consequences of it and, if the UCI does not intervene now, they
will be forced to stop racing forever. As a union, we cannot give all the answers to our members, but we
are making our voice heard by the UCI, and we are asking the international federation to concretely help
these members of the group» explains CPA president Gianni Bugno.
«The group is united in support of peace. At the Giro d'Italia, as in every other race, athletes of all
nationalities stand side by side, challenging each other respectfully and loyally. Sport is apolitical and
must remain impartial. Sport unites, it does not divide. Having said that, the right to work of these
athletes has been denied for no reason and, as an association, we feel we must protect it».
While being aware of the international situation, the group loudly calls on its federation to find a solution
in the sporting sphere. With a symbolic gesture, the professional riders are sending a message of peace
and solidarity between colleagues from the Giro d'Italia to the world, demanding a response from the
UCI, but above all concrete aid for these people.
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