\u201cDue to some incidents at the finish line, we have decided to take the time at three kilometers before the line,\u201d the race director announced on Radio Vuelta. \u201cWe won\u2019t have a stage winner. We will give the points for the mountain classification and the intermediate sprint, but not on the finish line.\u201d<\/p>\n
The disruption came a day after pro-Palestinian protesters stormed the track during stage 10, causing a member of Belgium\u2019s Intermarch\u00e9-Wanty team to crash and fall.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n Video footage shared on X showed Simone Petilli hit the ground as protesters chanting pro-Palestinian slogans ran onto the road; police tried to restrain them.<\/p>\n ????????| La Vuelta Euskal Herrian barrena dabil gaur eta bihar, @IsraelPremTech<\/a> talde sionistaren presentziaren aurkako protesten erdian. Begira zer gertatu den Irunberrin.<\/p>\n GENOZIDAK EZ DIRA ONGI ETORRIAK EUSKAL HERRIAN! #LaVuelta25<\/a> #StopGazaGenocide\u200cNOW<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/rimAvHPRTo<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Malcolm iXa ???? (@ideiazabaldub) September 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Last week, during stage 5<\/a>, around 10 protesters ran out onto the road with banners and Palestine flags in an attempt to slow down the Israeli team. In a video circulating on social media, three people can be seen holding a banner with the inscription \u201cNeutrality is complicity. Boycott Israel\u201d in Catalan while flanked by Palestinian flags, before being removed by race officials.\n<\/p>\n Footage of ???????? Israel-Premier Tech held up by protestors in Vuelta team time trial<\/p>\n ????\ufe0f Tom Machefer pic.twitter.com\/NdxRXu6aiM<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Domestique (@Domestique___) August 27, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n More protests are expected throughout the remaining 10 stages, although they are likely to be more subdued now that the race has left the Basque Country, an autonomous area where residents are sympathetic to armed nationalist independence movements.<\/p>\n The Israel \u2013 Premier Tech (IPT) said in a statement Wednesday that it \u201cremains committed to racing on,\u201d adding that \u201cany other course of action sets a dangerous precedent in the sport of cycling not only for Israel \u2013 Premier Tech, but for all teams.\u201d<\/p>\n The team \u201chas repeatedly expressed its respect for everyone\u2019s right to protest, as long as those protests remain peaceful and do not compromise the safety of the peloton,\u201d it said. \u201cHowever, the behavior of protesters in Bilbao today was not only dangerous, but counterproductive to their cause and deprived the Basque cycling fans, some of the best cycling fans in the world, of the stage finish they deserved.\u201d<\/p>\n IPT is a professional team that doesn\u2019t officially represent the State of Israel. The team\u2019s owner, philanthropist Sylvan Adams, is a pro-Israel advocate known for his vocal support of the country.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, calls to disqualify the team from participating have persisted.<\/p>\n \t Pier-Andre Cote from the Israel Premier Tech team rides during the eleventh stage of the Spanish Vuelta cycling race, from Bilbao to Bilbao, Spain, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. (AP Photo\/Miguel Oses)<\/p>\n Last week, Izquierda Unida, a Spanish left-wing party, called for IPT to be excluded from the Vuelta. Reports said<\/a> multiple riders have also requested privately for the team to be removed from the race.<\/p>\n According to media reports, Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a organizer Unipublic is unsure how to proceed, with technical director Kiko Garc\u00eda saying<\/a> he hopes for \u201crapid changes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that if there are no reactions or there are no changes in any way, then the protests will continue,\u201d Garc\u00eda said. \u201cOur duty is to protect the race, of course, the riders and the teams, and we\u2019re moving on that.\u201d<\/p>\n Many just want the race to proceed as normal. Petilli, who was knocked down in stage 10, posted to X<\/a> on Wednesday, \u201cPlease, we are just cyclists and we are doing our Job, but if it will continue like this, our safety is not guaranteed anymore, and we feel in danger!<\/p>\n \u201cWe just want to race! Please,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s Tour de France<\/a> and Giro d\u2019Italia<\/a>, the other major cycling events, were also disrupted by anti-Israel protesters.<\/p>\n
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