“It is a fact that we analysed several images, and we tried to understand internally what led to this happening. We realise it's a bunch of little mistakes. Logically, the organisation has to take charge. As those responsible for the organisation, we have to assume our part”, conceded Sérgio Sousa.

The organisation's director was speaking to journalists in Lagoa, the starting point of the second stage, in the aftermath of the cancellation of the first stage on Wednesday, after dozens of cyclists followed the cars' detour and missed the finish line in Lagos.

“We are aware, together with the teams, together with the athletes, that we provided all the information that correctly indicated how the cars would divert, that they would have to go through the roundabout on the left side, but, unfortunately, when the cars diverted, there was a hesitation on our part, the organisation”, he reinforced.

The race director also admits that the motorcycles that were at the front of the race may also have led the cyclists along the wrong route.

“When cycling at that speed, all it takes is for the first cyclist to take the wrong path and the whole peloton will follow suit. They ended up leaving through the support car detours because that was where we would have to filter who could enter the finishing straight and who couldn't. It was a procedure that didn’t go well,” he lamented.

Now, Sérgio Sousa states that the organisation will “certainly reinforce the issue of diverting cars”.

“We understand that we need to have a more robust structure, to pay more attention at this time, but I find it hard to attribute all the responsibility to the organisation, because there are a number of factors behind this that led to this happening, namely […] the instinct to follow a motorcycle that followed the detour of the support cars”, he noted.

“A lesser evil”

For the leader, the decision by the commissaires' panel to cancel the stage was difficult, but possible under the regulations.

“It ends up being the only way we had to replace those 92 cyclists who yesterday [Wednesday] didn’t cross the finish line. We are aware that yesterday's stage was not decisive for the overall classification of the Volta ao Algarve and for the final outcome of this Volta ao Algarve, it ends up being a lesser evil in that sense”, he highlighted.

The decision to cancel the stage, however, penalised the Italian Filippo Ganna (INEOS), the first to cross the finish line on the correct route, with the board's decision being heavily criticised in the peloton.

“I understand this stance and this vision, of course, but the truth is that we are all aware that the sporting truth was not there and this is not our way of being in cycling either. Above all, a good sporting spectacle, a television spectacle, should prevail, and in fact that did not happen,” he concluded.

At the start of the second stage, which ends at the top of Fóia, Ganna also spoke to journalists, limiting himself to saying that “the decision that was taken had to be taken”.

“Obviously, it would have been nice to win,” he said, less irritated than the day before, when he refused to go up to the podium to symbolically wear the yellow jersey.