The column: Miguel Ángel López vs the Slovenian

The column: Miguel Ángel López vs the Slovenian

Six of one, half a dozen of the other? Did the guy get what he deserved? Or should the UCI have thrown the book at Miguel Ángel López?


Whose side are you on? The puncher or the punched? What if we said you could choose both?

 

Miguel Ángel López certainly caused a commotion on Saturday when he took a few well-aimed swings at a spectator who inadvertently impeded him on the final climb of this year’s Giro d’Italia. Alternatively, an idiot finally got what he deserved when he got in the way of the race.

 

The UCI then made things worse by ignoring their own regulations and letting López off the hook. Or, the jury allowed reason, sanity and righteousness to prevail when they decided against imposing a sanction on the Colombian for what they correctly judged a “human reaction”.

 

Centrism is very unfashionable these days, and the room for nuance in our discourse is shoe box sized at best. But is it possible that neither of these positions is the correct one? That a just verdict may in fact resemble a combination of both? Might both parties even deserve some sympathy?

 

For it seems fair to assume that rider and fan were caught up in the excitement, stress and heat of the moment.

 

You can argue, if you like, that the spectator started it when he decided to run alongside the riders but 999 times out of 1000, it’s an action results in no harm done to the race. We’re not condoning or encouraging behaviour of that kind, but there’s a very small part of us that thinks it adds to the televisual spectacle as well. It’s impossible to imagine that this individual would have intended to knock off López, either.

 

Was the reaction of the Astana rider understandable? Of course it was. Can we imagine ourselves behaving similarly in even remotely similar circumstances? Absolutely.

 

Both individuals, we suspect, would go back in time and undo their respective actions if they could. Superman has already apologised. Nobody seems to have found the (reportedly Slovenian) fan who he swatted to extract a quote but it seems likely that he might be feeling somewhat remorseful (not to mention sore) as well. Surely there’s a fluffy little “reunion”-style story to be told there one day?

 

Read: Has the Tour de France fallen victim to the selfie generation?

 

No-one wants to see someone kicked out of a race but the letter of the law states that “acts of violence” by a rider “towards any other person [than a fellow rider]” will lead to “elimination and a 200[Swiss franc] fine”. There’s nothing currently in the rulebook that provides exception for provocation.

 

Even if you think there should be. Just as the Tour is the Tour, the law is the law. It can only be deemed fair – indeed it can only function – if it is applied without fear or favour. Fat chance with the UCI, you might (reasonably) think, but we can hope.

 

The post The column: Miguel Ángel López vs the Slovenian appeared first on The world's finest cycling magazine.


READ MORE

Tadej Pogačar at the Tour de France 2025

‘It is going to make for good TV’ - The Tour de France will reach boiling point on stage 10

Stage 10 is expected to bring some serious GC action after a few tense days between UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Visma-Lease a Bike

Leggi di più
‘We put on a good show’ - Mathieu van der Poel and the beauty of losing

‘We put on a good show’ - Mathieu van der Poel and the beauty of losing

The Dutch rider spent over 170 kilometres in the breakaway during stage nine of the Tour de France with his teammate, Jonas Rickaert, and was...

Leggi di più
Tour de France 2025 stage 10 preview: Hardest test yet

Tour de France 2025 stage 10 preview: Hardest test yet

The peloton faces almost 4,500m of climbing on challenging day in the Massif Central

Leggi di più
Tadej Pogačar at the Tour de France 2025

Tour de France 2025 standings: the results after stage nine

The latest results and standings from the Tour de France 2025

Leggi di più
‘Muriel Furrer, Gino Mäder – there have been so many wake-up calls’ - When will cycling have its safety revolution?

‘Muriel Furrer, Gino Mäder – there have been so many wake-up calls’ - When will cycling have its safety revolution?

A movement towards safer racing conditions is steadily gaining momentum in professional bike racing, but is it enough?

Leggi di più

READ RIDE REPEAT

JOIN ROULEUR TODAY

Get closer to the sport than ever before.

Enjoy a digital subscription to Rouleur for just £4 per month and get access to our award-winning magazines.

SUBSCRIBE