>Amid this tense backdrop, a war of words has broken out between Daryl Impey, sports director of Israel Premier Tech, and Matteo Jorgenson of Team Visma | Lease a Bike. Impey strongly defended his team’s right to remain in the competition. “People can say what they want, but we are going to continue all the way to Madrid. Simple. We try to focus on what we are: a cycling team,” he said in words to Flobikes.
>Impey added that the riders had received plenty of support within the peloton, though opinions were divided. “We actually feel a lot of support. And the riders from other teams? Some support us, some don’t… In the CPA WhatsApp group, Matteo Jorgenson is the most vocal. Maybe you should ask him what he thinks about it.”
>He went further, accusing Jorgenson of politicizing the issue. “We are a sports team and we don’t mix this with politics, but for him apparently it is. He’s basically saying we should leave the other riders behind. Is he the king of the Vuelta? Maybe he can add something about that.”
>Jorgenson responded with evident frustration, criticizing Impey for making private exchanges public. “You are talking about messages in a private group of riders. I think it’s inappropriate to make it public in the media. That clearly shows the position he takes,” he said.
>He declined to expand on his views, adding only: “I don’t have much more to say about it, and I already shared my opinion when it was relevant.”
>Impey’s decision to reveal internal conversations has drawn criticism from many observers, who see it as crossing a line. While it is understandable that he wishes to defend the interests of his team, airing confidential exchanges from a private forum is widely regarded as unacceptable and damaging to the riders’ collective trust.
kek, based bully Jorg