"It's a mistake by David Dekker" - Vuelta a Burgos organizer on stage two's mass crash

On the second stage of the Vuelta a Burgos there was an horrific mass crash inside the final kilometer which saw several riders abandon, and it has sparked once again intense debates about the safety of sprint finishes after a speed bump caused unimaginable damage.

L'Équipe interviewed Marcus Moral, race organizer, who has talked about the incident. “It was not a speed bump, but a zebra crossing no more than 2.5 centimeters high. On a [downhill] slope. This obstacle was indicated by markings on the ground and by a signalman's flag. In preparation we showed the last three kilometers to the riders," he said, defending the race's decisions to have the finale in the location. "It is impossible to find a route by removing roundabouts or passages like this one," he argued.

"It's a mistake by David Dekker. He has since realized this and has asked for forgiveness," Moral revealed. "I'm not saying it's just the rider's fault. It's everyone's fault. But we cannot attack the race organization if the obstacle is indicated. I think the last kilometers of the second stage were correct. We take our responsibility, but people should not demonize us for that".

The reactions on social media and from several riders in the peloton were very clear, with the unsatisfaction over the feature being a topic of much anger towards both race organizers and the UCI, who have the responsibility to create safe routes for the riders to race tomorrow.

Moral has argumented that it's the riders' responsibilities to hold the handlebars well enough to not have accidents like this. "If I do hold my handlebars well enough, the same crash might happen in the peloton's circle somewhere between twenty and forty [kilometers per hour]," he added.

Currently Pavel Sivakov is leading the race, into the final and queen stage of the race into Lagunas de Neila.