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Not that I'm defending him in any way, shape or form, but a pro race is very different than a sportive, especially a major European one where you get thousands of riders in an event, and where most of them stay in the area for at least one night, bringing a lot of revenue to a community. You can close the roads for a day with minimal disruption as a) they are usually held on a Sunday and b) most locals know they are happening and plan accordingly.
A pro race has a field of 200 riders max, and require closed roads for a much shorter period of time, and usually clash with commercial trading hours.
andyp
He sounds like a bit of a prick. Sportives manage to get totally closed roads!