Say that the media is too focussed on negative stories
Last Sunday David Arroyo finished off a superb Giro d’Italia campaign when he took second overall in the race, the highlight of his ten year pro career. The Caisse d’Epargne rider was fifth, fifth, seventh and eighth on stages and fought doggedly in the mountains to try to hold on to his Maglia Rosa for as long as possible.
However, according to a group saying they represent the professional cyclists of the Castilla-La Mancha region, the media focus on these achievements have been far, far less than deserved.
“David Arroyo…has achieved second place in the Giro d’Italia after leading the general classification for six days,” it said in a communiqué. “The merit of this sporting result is unquestionable, deserved and worthy of being recognized by his countrymen, and yet doesn’t appear to be sufficiently relevant for the national media, especially the radio and television broadcasters, who have been conspicuous by their absence.”
They contrast this with the coverage given to the lengthy suspension just announced for Alejandro Valverde, who was deemed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport of being guilty of involvement in Operación Puerto. “We do not judge the situation of Alejandro, whom we respect, but we reject the priority to focus information on more negative aspects and forget the most commendable and notable aspects of cycling.”
They called for respect for cycling and also equity of coverage, saying that the vast bulk of stories from the sport are positive ones, yet there is an emphasis on the negative issues.
“Therefore, we demand that the information on cycling and cyclists adopts a more positive prism, putting across the value of effort, sacrifice and merit of cycling, both solo and working with a team.”
They concluded by saying that this would present an image of the sport which would more fairly represent the reality.
The communiqué is likely to result in mixed reactions. On one hand, Spanish cycling has been dogged by doping issues for many years, with Operación Puerto, the testimony of Jesus Manzano and other stories illustrating the problem there.
On the other, they have a valid point that Arroyo’s performance in the Giro deserved strong coverage, particularly as it represented the zenith of the rider’s career.
The letter was signed by former professional Francisco Javier Cerezo Perales, Rafael Díaz Justo and José Antonio Pecharromán.