Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

At a recent cycling race in Oman (Tour of Oman), a group of professional cyclists simply pulled over to the side of the road and retired from the race due to blisteringly hot and unsafe conditions (read here).

The protest took place on the Tour of Oman when sandstorms, strong winds and extreme heat led the cyclists to stop under the shade of a bridge. The peloton simply stopped and the athletes collectively decided not to race.

One of the team leaders described that all of the riders decided not to race. “There was no way to race in that kind of heat.”

We have to respect athletes who stand up for their rights and the health and safety of the other athletes around themselves.

Those kinds of bold collective decisions and group-oriented mindset have not yet been demonstrated among the open water swimming professionals where coaches and governing bodies have, for the most part, the final decision as to what the athlete will do.

Copyright © 2015 by World Open Water Swimming Association