Ben Pawlowski
THE greatest fears of the organisers of the Vuelta a España came true on Sunday as the grand finale of the gruelling, three-week-long cycle race – Spain’s equivalent of the Tour de France – was abandoned after tens of thousands of pro-Palestine protesters blocked the finish line in Madrid.
Over 1,000 police officers were deployed on to the streets of the Spanish capital in an attempt to nullify threats to sabotage the 21st and final stage of the race, representing the largest security operation in the city since the 2022 Nato summit – but organisers were left with little choice but to cancel the day’s racing midway through after an estimated 100,000 activists attended a rally in the city centre.
Some 22 police officers were injured amid violent exchanges as some protesters, many of whom displayed Palestine flags, knocked down barriers and threw bottles, while security forces struck back with batons and fired teargas.
Demonstrators chanted ‘Boycott Israel’, ‘It’s not a war, it’s a genocide’ and ‘No pasarán’, the anti-fascist slogan popularised during the Spanish Civil War, as the rally amassed near to Madrid’s famous Plaza de Colón and Gran Vía.
This year’s edition of the Vuelta – one of cycling’s three prestigious Grand Tours – has become a lightning rod for criticism thanks to the participation of Israel-Premier Tech, a team owned by Sylvan Adams, an Israeli-Canadian billionaire businessman, close friend of Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, and outspoken supporter of Israel’s ongoing military offensive in Gaza.
Several stages of this year’s race have been disrupted, with both stages 11 and 16 curtailed early because of large crowds blocking the final kilometres of the route.
Some protests have even caused crashes, with Javier Romo, from the Movistar team, forced to withdraw from the race with an injury after the Spanish rider hit the tarmac when a pro-Palestine protester tried to run into the path of the peloton and a policeman ran across in an attempt to intervene.
Speaking to El Español on Sunday, Sergio Samitier, an Aragonese rider from the Cofidis team, slammed those who have launched protests throughout the race, warning that their actions were endangering the lives of those participating in the race.
“What harm have we done? None,” Samitier said. “We’re the ones put in danger because we’re going at 80km/h, they throw pins at us and kill us. You cannot please everyone because you make a statement and they’ll say: ‘One cyclist for 80,000 dead in Gaza’.”
Amid warnings about attempts to sabotage the weekend’s grand finale, the Vuelta’s race director had been bullish, insisting: “No replacing the Madrid stage, absolutely not.”
But Sunday’s 104km-long last leg was cancelled with more than 55km still to race after organisers and the Guardia Civil staged lengthy discussions when it became apparent that the tens of thousands of protesters holed up in Madrid would not budge.
Danish cyclist and two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard, who led before the final stage, was declared the winner and will head home with the famous red jersey.
Portuguese rider Joao Almeida came second and Britain’s Tom Pidcock – of Q36.5 Pro Cycling – finished third.
There was no official ceremony to celebrate the end of the 3,100km race – but the trio staged an impromptu celebration in a nearby car park late at night, forming a podium with three cool boxes inscribed with the numbers one, two and three.
The disruption has prompted growing questions over the participation of the Israel-Premier Tech team in future races, praised by Netanyahu last week for ‘not giving in to hate and intimidation’ and ‘making Israel proud.”
Last week, the Israel-Premier Tech team attempted to stave off anticipated protests by removing the word ‘Israel’ from the kit used by its riders.
But that move appeared to do little to quell the anger among demonstrators.
Spain’s foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares even joined in, urging race organisers to kick the team out of the Vuelta in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian people.
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Albares told national broadcaster RNE that he was ‘in favour’ of the team’s expulsion, even if the final decision did not lie with the Spanish government, but rather the ICU, cycling’s governing body.
“I would be in favour of it,” he said. “We have to send a message to Israel and Israeli society that Europe and Israel can only have normal relations when human rights are respected.”
Sunday’s cancellation has even provoked a bitter political row in Spain after prime minister Pedro Sanchez appeared to throw his support behind activists who injured police officers and forced the cancellation of the race’s final stage.
READ MORE: Israel summons Spanish ambassador after PM Pedro Sanchez calls country a ‘genocidal state’
Speaking in Malaga early on Sunday, Sanchez said: “Today the Vuelta finishes and we show our absolute respect and recognition for the athletes.”
“But also our admiration for the Spanish people who mobilise for just causes such as Palestine. Today Spain shines as an example and as a source of pride. It’s an example to the international community by taking a step forward in defence of human rights.”
The comments were criticised by the conservative Partido Popular (PP) opposition, while Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, took to social media to call Sanchez and his government ‘a disgrace to Spain’.
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