Vuelta 'bloodbath' must be stopped, demands cyclists' union
Gianni Bugno, president of the Professional Cyclists Association (CPA), has branded this year's Vuelta a Espana a "bloodbath".
The 2015 Vuelta a Espana has become a "bloodbath" according to Professional Cyclists Association (CPA) president Gianni Bugno, who has called on the UCI to take action to preserve riders' safety.
This year's Spanish Grand Tour has been beset by controversy, with Tinkoff-Saxo riders Peter Sagan and Sergio Paulinho forced to withdraw from the race due to injuries suffered in crashes with motorbikes on the route.
Those abandonments led to team boss Oleg Tinkov threatening to withdraw the rest of his riders from the race, though Tinkoff-Saxo's squad remain in action.
And Bugno, winner of the 1990 Giro d'Italia, has echoed the Russian's sentiments that support vehicles must be better controlled.
In an open letter, Bugno proposed a "fast and urgent meeting" between the CPA and the UCI road commission "where the riders can explain their demands to finally stop this bloodbath".
He continued: "It is no longer possible to believe that these accidents are simply due to fate or misfortune that happen to our riders at the Vuelta and at other important competitions since the beginning of the year.
"We rather believe in a lack of organization, stricter rules and checks that limit the traffic during the race and allow the rider to do their job with major security."