CUNEO, Italy — Lance Armstrong was apologetic and avoided launching into a war of words with race organizers after the protest that marred the ninth stage of the Giro d’Italia.
“It’s an unfortunate situation, an accumulation of days and days of frustration, and I think fear on a lot of people’s parts, and then this war of words and this war of power afterwards that we have to avoid,” Armstrong said in a video message posted late Monday, the Giro’s first rest day.
Armstrong played an integral role in a group protest that ended up annulling times in Sunday’s stage because riders considered the leg through downtown Milan too dangerous.
For most of the stage, the pack pedaled far below its normal pace, denying fans a chance to see quality racing.
“I think the real point here, and I think the point that we as riders would like to get across is that we’re sorry about that. It wasn’t an ideal outcome, nobody was happy with that,” Armstrong said. “We didn’t feel the conditions were safe.”
Armstrong cited a number of problems with the course — from parked cars to tram tracks, traffic islands and even oncoming traffic.
Spanish rider Pedro Horillo Muñoz ended up in a 24-hour coma after falling 60 yards off the side of the road on a downhill stretch Saturday.
“We nearly lost him that day — the facts are the facts and it took them 20 minutes to find him when he fell off that cliff,” Armstrong said. “Thank God he’s fine, and he’s going to live to ride another day. Other stages had unlit tunnels, dangerous downhills. Can you imagine going into a tunnel at 50 mph with no lights? That’s crazy.”
