There was no winner of stage 11 of the Vuelta a Espana on Wednesday, after organizers ordered the race to finish 3km from the line after pro-Palestinian protesters tried to burst onto the course at the finish line in Bilbao, sparking calls for the Israeli team’s withdrawal.
“Due to some incidents at the finish line, we have decided to take the time at 3km before the line,” the race director announced on Radio Vuelta. “We won’t have a stage winner. We will give the points for the mountain classification and the intermediate sprint, but not on the finish line.”
Disruptions began early when the race was stopped in the neutral zone after protesters carrying a banner gathered on the road before they were ushered to the side by police.
Photo: AP
Late on protesters pulled a banner across the road in front of the peloton, but they got past without any problems, and all along the race route there was a mixture of Basque and Palestinian flags. Some protesters attempted to push barriers into the road to disrupt the event at the finish line.
Basque Minister of Security Bingen Zupiria told reporters that three people were arrested, another five were identified and four members of the regional police were injured during the protests.
Protests have targeted the Israel-Premier Tech team at each stage of this year’s Vuelta.
The Israel-Premier Tech team said in a statement that they remained committed to continuing the race and respected everyone’s “right to protest, as long as those protests remain peaceful and do not compromise the safety of the peloton.”
“The behavior of protesters in Bilbao today was not only dangerous, but also counterproductive to their cause. It deprived the Basque cycling fans, some of the best in the world, of the stage finish they deserved,” the team added.
The UCI governing body “firmly condemned” the incident, saying cycling “has a role to play in bringing people together and overcoming barriers between them, and should under no circumstances be used as a tool for punishment.”
There was a surreal end to the race, with race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Britain’s Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) unsure of where exactly the new finish line was.
“It’s hard to describe the disappointment to be honest,” Pidcock said. “I felt like today was my day. I feel like there should always be a finish line.”
The Briton also had a message for the protesters.
“Putting us in danger isn’t going to help your cause,” he said.
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