Article by Luminița Paul – published Wednesday, September 3, 2025 21:25 / Updated Wednesday, September 3, 2025 21:44
The organizers at Vuelta (August 23-September 14) stopped the 11th stage 3 kilometers before arrival at Bilbao due to pro-Palestinian protests, then announced that there will be no winner of this round.
There was no winner in the 11th stage of the Spanish Tour, a medium mountain, after the organizers decided to end three kilometers from the finish line, due to the pro-Palestinian protesters who caused disorders on the arrival of Bilbao.
Photo gallery. Demonstrations on the streets of Bilbao, stepless stage in the Spanish Tour
“Due to some incidents to the finish line, we decided to take the time three kilometers before the line“, Announced the director of the Radio Vuelta race.”We will not have a winner of the step. We will award the points for the mountain ranking and the intermediate sprint but not at the finish line“, He said.
The disturbances started early, when the race was stopped in the neutral area, after the protesters wore a banner gathered on the road, before being removed from the police. Later, they stretched a banner over the road in front of the platoon, but it passed smoothly, and along the race route, Palestinian flags were flown.
Two cyclists broke off on the last climbing
The 157.4 km stage, which started and ended at Bilbao, was in the last 20 kilometers when the announcement was made, while the main cyclists of the general standings were fighting at the head of the Peloton.
The leader of the race, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease of Bike), and British Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) have been detached from their rivals in the last kilometers and have reached premature arrival.
Pidcock attacked the last climbing, Alto de Pike, and Vingegaard was the only cyclist who managed to follow him, leaving Joao Almeida (UAe Team Emirates-XRG), who started the day three in the general standings, at 38 seconds of the leader.
⛰ 3️⃣ 𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝐄 𝐏𝐈𝐊𝐄
💥 Tom Pidcock, the best on the pike bidea climb!
💥 ¡Tom Pidcock, he Mejor at the subida of Pike Bidea!
💙 @looterias_es | #Lavuelta25 pic.twitter.com/ye2n4ktte5
– La Vuelta (@lavuelta) September 3, 2025
The race had already passed on the finish line earlier in the stage and it was clear that the police were striving to control the hundreds of protesters that waved Palestinian flags.
“I crossed the finish line, I already saw them there, on the road, I think the police kept it away,” Vingegaard said. “At one point, they tried to block us on the penultimate climb, but we simply passed,” added the Danish.
The leader Jonas Vingegaard, disappointed: “It's my son's day, I wanted to win for him”
The race ended in an incredible, Vingegaard and Pidcock not exactly where the new arrival line was. “Honestly, it's hard to describe the disappointment,” Pidcock said. “I felt that today was my day. I think there should always be a line of arrival.”
The British also had a message for protesters. “Endangering us does not help your cause“He said.
Vingegaard was also disappointed, with the Danes having a special reason to win the stage. “It's my son's birthday, he turns a year today so I wanted to win for him“, Said the Nordic, who has 4 stages in Vuelta, in 2023 and this year.”I worked all day for that and the fact that we didn't have the chance to win is obviously a great sin”.
Jonas Vingegaard (in red) and the coequiter Sepp Kuss Photo: Imago Images
Prior to the stage, the Association of Professional Cyclists requested to improve security in Vuelta, after a number of incidents involving protesters have aroused concern about cyclist safety, the Israel-Premier Tech team being the main target, notes Reuters.
On Tuesday, in the 10th stage, there were incidents that caused a cyclist's fall, and in the 5th stage, during the team-time test, the Israel-Premier Tech team was stopped by a group of protesters that waved Palestinian flags.
