Jonas Vingegaard reclaimed the red jersey at the Vuelta a Espana as his Visma-Lease a Bike outfit came second in a team time trial on stage five that was briefly disrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters.
Vingegaard’s team finished eight seconds behind UAE Team Emirates-XRG, who took the stage victory in Figueres by covering the 24.1km course in 25 minutes and 26 seconds.
Giulio Ciccone’s Lidl-Trek, who had set the benchmark early in the day, finished nine seconds behind the winners in third place.
The stage was disrupted by a protest that tried to stop riders from the Israel-Premier Tech team on the road.
All eight riders were forced to slow down while four came to a complete stop as police on motorbikes tried to clear the road of protesters, who were holding pro-Palestinian flags and banners.
The disruption proved costly for the team, who eventually finished in 19th place – 54 seconds slower than the winners.
Protesters had also called for Israel-Premier Tech, owned by Israeli-Canadian businessman Sylvan Adams, to be kicked out of last month’s Tour de France.
The team said in a statement that it “respects everyone’s right to freedom of speech, which includes the right to protest peacefully, but we absolutely condemn the dangerous acts of the protesters”.
“The team continues to work with race organisers and relevant authorities to ensure our safety at the Vuelta a Espana and all races and ensure any protests do not impact our safety, nor our right to race,” it said.
Israel’s military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
At least 62,819 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s health ministry.