Cycling World Championships Disappear from TV; Rai Steps In After a Wave of Criticism

In the past few hours, a major controversy has erupted over RAI’s coverage of the World Cycling Championships. With about 38 km remaining to the finish line, at a moment when the race was heating up with attempts by Van der Poel and Roglic to break away from the pack, interrupted the broadcast to hand the airtime over to TG2.

Fans were given the option to continue watching the race on RaiPlay 3, but few were able to access the stream. Speaking to *Corriere della Sera*, Rai Sport Director Marco Lollobrigida tried to defuse the situation: “We switched the live broadcast to RaiPlay 3 as planned, where there was evidently an issue with server overload.”

“The company explained to me that everything was resolved in a few minutes—perhaps less than 25—and I’m truly sorry for my colleagues who were doing an excellent job and for all the fans,” stated Lollobrigida, who was forced to address the issue due to the massive wave of criticism.

On social media, users, fans, and industry insiders vented their frustration. Among them was Paolo Viberti, a longtime correspondent for Tuttosport and veteran journalist, who didn’t hold back in his criticism of the public broadcaster: “The professional cycling world championship was won by an American from the UAE, Brandon McNulty, in his first victory of the season, but Rai lost it in spectacular fashion, suspending the live broadcast at the race’s most crucial moments to air the regime’s news program, which lasts 40 minutes on Rai2!”

“And so, when the broadcast returned to Canada (in the meantime, it had been impossible for fans to tune in to RaiPlay 3, as announced during the coverage), the race had already been decided, because there were only 15 km left to the finish! Long live public service broadcasting and the TV license fee! In the last fifty years, the men’s professional cycling world championship has never been so mistreated by state television! Shame on them!”