Israeli bike racing team excluded from Giro d'Italia after pro-Palestine protesters disrupt previous race
The AP is reporting that protesters with Palestinian flags disrupted 7 of 11 says of the Spanish Vuelta pro bike race. At least one flagpole with a Palestinian flag on it was thrown onto the racecourse.
Citing this, organizer of the Giro d'Italia have banned the Israel Premier Tech from the race, citing "safety concerns." This is correct: one flagpole through the spokes of an Israeli riders front wheel could cause a pileup crash endangering ALL riders behind them.
In the peloton, riders often ride with only a an inch or so separating a front rider's rear wheel from the rider behind them's front wheel. I have ridden in training peltons myself and even a couple Cat 5 (amateur) bike races myself when I was younger so I know exactly how close and fast the action is in a tightly spaced peloton. There is almost no time to react to a crash ahead. The riders are good enough bike handlers that most of the time they are able to evade piling up when someone goes down (often in a corner) but not all of the time.
Yes, this is about safety. Israel should not be allowed to enter any sporting event where they attract anything that could endanger other participants.
The Vuelta and Giro are both stage races like the well-known Tour De France and two of the big ones. Neither can afford to invite a hazard like Israeli teams. Vuelta organizers got burned on this, Giro organizers learned from it.
https://apnews.com/article/israel-premier-tech-cycling-emilia-8e3e185602fb7f7341d90323fd3a4108