Javier Romo, 26-year-old cyclist from from Movistar Team, has had a bitter end from La Vuelta a España. On Sunday, he suffered a fall when a protester against Israel jumped and surprised the peloton. Romo lost control of the bike and fell. While he didn't suffer serious injuries, he had numerous bruises that caused him pain, and during Tuesday's stage he decided to quite the race.
"The La Mancha cyclist was forced to abandon the Spanish race after crashing last Sunday. Despite the pain, Romo tried to stay in the race and continue fighting, but ultimately was unable to continue", his team posted, adding a video showing all his bruises, cuts and scratches.
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"I am nobody to judge these type of people, it's up to the police to judge them, but they've screwed my Vuelta a España, and I don't think I'm the one who needs to pay for this", he said.
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Indeed, videos of the fall show a bizarre scene: the protester was crouched under some trees, and when the riders passed, he jumped at them. He tripped, which meant that most riders were able to dodge him, only Romo lost control and fell. If he hadn't fall, and he would have really jumped into the cyclist, as it appeared he intended to do, "it could have been a tragedy", Romo thinks.
Romo came close of winning his firs Vuelta stage last Thursday, when he finished second in the stage, losing to Juan Ayuso in the final sprint.