Sensational at World Cycling Championships: race suspended for an hour, “protesters glued to the road”

World Cycling Championships, chaos in Scotland: race suspended, “protesters glued to the road”

Chaos in Scotland during the men’s road race, the most anticipated race of the 2023 World Cycling Championships. The race, which started in Edinburgh, was halted and frozen for nearly an hour with 192 km to go in Glasgow due to a resounding protest by some protesters, who blocked the road.

The suspension occurred at around 12:20 p.m., with nine riders in the breakaway with nearly 6 minutes ahead of the peloton: police officers were forced to intervene and race management froze the positions, stopping the cyclists and halting the race.

Protesters were reportedly glued to the road, British media reported, making clearing operations significantly more complicated. After about an hour, the road was finally cleared and the race resumed.

This is the UCI’s statement, “Following the confirmation by the Scottish police of a protest in the Carron Valley area, which temporarily disrupted the men’s road race, we are working closely with all relevant authorities to minimize disruption to the race and also to ensure the safety of the riders as our main concern.” The UCI itself later confirmed the resumption of the race at 1:15 p.m.