Ayuso wins stage at Spanish Vuelta a day after pro-Palestinian protest disrupts race
LOS CORRALES DE BUELNA, Spain (AP) — The Spanish Vuelta restarted without incident on Thursday, when Juan Ayuso earned a second stage victory, a day after organizers cut a stage short when pro-Palestinian protestors interrupted the racing in Bilbao.
Wednesday’s protest had targeted the Israel Premier Tech team while Israel continues its military invasion into Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of civilians in retaliation for the Hamas attacks in October 2023.
The protest produced chaotic scenes of a crowd pushing against temporary metal barriers along the final kilometers of the course with police and security personnel holding them back. Many protestors carried Palestine flags and pro-Palestine signs. Race officials called off the stage about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the end of the circular route out of and in to Bilbao.
Israel Premier Tech said it was not pulling out.
“Any other course of action sets a dangerous precedent in the sport of cycling — not only for Israel Premier Tech, but for all teams,” it said.
The Palestinian cause is backed by many Spaniards, including its left-wing government.
Bilbao is an industrial city in Spain’s Basque Country, a region known for political strife and protest due to its now dormant separatist movement — as well as for its love for cycling.
The Vuelta stayed away from the Basque Country for more than three decades until its return in 2011. That hiatus came after supporters of Basque independence caused a Vuelta stage to be canceled in 1978 when they rolled logs onto the course.
Normality returned to the race Thursday in the green hills of Spain’s northern Cantabria region. The 12th stage started in costal town of Laredo, about 60 kilometers (47 miles) west of Bilbao along the Atlantic coast.
Ayuso gets double despite breakup with team
The 22-year-old Ayuso, one of Spain’s top cycling talents, has maintained his superb form despite an ugly, mid-race breakup with his UAE Emirates team.
His second win came just three days after his team made the surprising announcement that it had reached an agreement with Ayuso to terminate his contact three years ahead of time at the end of the season. UAE’s star rider is Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar, who is sitting the Vuelta out.
Team CEO Mauro Gianetti said that he wanted to let Ayuso go because “our sporting project has always been focused on continuity, group harmony, and building a winning team.”
Those comments did not sit well with Ayuso, who won the Tirreno-Adriatico with his team in March. The Spaniard responded that the team had “been disrespectful and wanted to damage my image.”
But the spat has not impacted his performance. Ayuso attacked on a climb Thursday, dropping the other breakaway riders except for Javier Romo, who he then beat in a sprint to the finish line of the 145-kilometer (90-mile) route.
Ayuso had entered the race among a select group of riders considered to be title contenders, but his shot at vying for the title evaporated when he lost 10 minutes on the sixth stage. The next day he responded with a stage win in the Pyrenees.
Two-time Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard kept his lead of the three-week race.
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AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling
