The ANAPRC's (Association of North American Professional Road Cyclists) first major initiative came to fruition today with the inaugural execution of the UCI's Extreme Weather Protocol at the Clasica de Almeria.
While there was some misunderstanding of the plan for the race in light of the dangerously high winds, the ANAPRC executive director Michael Carcaise and founding member Brent Bookwalter were pleased that the protocol they helped to push through was effective in protecting the safety of the riders.
"We're happy - I sense the riders are pleased with the outcome - we're happy with this first step and the process can only improve from here," Carcaise said to Cyclingnews.
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Bookwalter said that the riders knew what they were getting into with the wind when they left the hotel where all of the racers were staying. "When we came out this morning the wind was amazing. It was hard to even walk to the bus. There were intense gusts. When we got to the start, in the city where there was more shelter it was more manageable, but we knew we would be racing back into what we just left. There were weather advisories up and down the coast."
Even with the wind howling up to 80kph, the riders agreed in the Extreme Weather Protocol-mandated meeting to head out from Almeria with the racing neutralised.
Bookwalter said he was optimistic that the race would remain controlled. "But you never know which teams and which riders actually agreed to it. If a guy is going to attack up the side, you can't physically stop him. The idea was that each team would do about 10km to help keep the pace up," he told Cyclingnews. "Going out from the start it was nice - we were able to keep the pace safe and controlled, and the fans seemed appreciative.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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