A "suspected arson attack" in Almería, Spain, "destroyed the tour bus of the Aqua Blue Sport cycling team at the Vuelta a España," according to Richard Martin of REUTERS. A mattress had been "placed underneath the Ireland-based team's bus in the early hours of Thursday and set alight."
The team is competing in its first major tour. It "vowed to continue racing" and posted a picture of its riders on a different bus on their way to stage 12, which began in Motril on Thursday, with the message, "Nothing is going to stop us starting today's La Vuelta stage. Thank you for all the support." A statement from Spain's national police force said that it "had arrested a 55-year-old man who had allegedly caused four fires in Almería" (
REUTERS, 8/31). CYCLING NEWS reported as the investigation into the incident continues, the team said that it will not release more information but extended its "thanks to the fire and police services, and the organisers, for their help." The team said, "We would like to extend our gratitude to the Fire Service and the Police for their help during this difficult time. We would also like to thank Unipublic and ASO for their assistance" (
CYCLING NEWS, 8/31).
