Pro-Palestinian protests at Spanish Vuelta force organizers to cut short another stage
POIO, Spain (AP) — The 16th stage of the Spanish Vuelta was cut short Tuesday after pro-Palestinian protesters blocked the road a few kilometers from the finish line.
It was the second time a stage was cut short because of the protests at the three-week Grand Tour race in Spain.
Race organizers took the times of riders with 8 kilometers (5 miles) to go, giving Egan Bernal the stage win. Jonas Vingegaard kept the overall lead entering the final week of the race.
The decision was made after hundreds of protesters gathered at about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) to go in the 168-kilometer (104-mile) stage in northwestern Spain.
Race officials told teams there was “a big protest at 3 kilometers before the line. We will decide the stage winner and take times at 8 kilometers before the line.”
Police could not fully disperse the protesters, who have been calling for Israel’s Premier Tech team to abandon the race. The team started Saturday’s stage wearing new uniforms without the team name.
At one point Tuesday, protesters tried to block the passage of the support van of the Israeli team.
On Sunday, a protester carrying the Palestinian flag was detained after trying to invade the road in front of riders and causing two riders to crash.
Javi Romo, one of the riders who crashed, retired from the race Tuesday after not fully recovering from the fall.
The 11th stage was also cut short — and finished without a winner — because of a disruption by the protesters near the finish line in the Basque Country city of Bilbao.
Ahead of the 16th stage, organizers erased paintings of Palestinian flags made by protesters near the finish line.
There are more protests expected for the final stage in Madrid on Sunday.
Bernal, the Colombian rider from team Ineos Grenadiers, picked up his first Vuelta stage victory — and 58th of his professional career — after outlasting Mikel Landa in a two-man sprint near the end of the shortened race. It was Bernal’s first international win since a life‑threatening crash in 2022.
On Wednesday, riders will face a 143-kilometer (89-mile) mid-mountain stage.
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AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling
