Spanish Vuelta riders vote to continue racing for now after pro-Palestinian protests

MADRID (AP) – Spanish Vuelta riders have voted to keep competing but did not rule out abandoning the Grand Tour event if pro-Palestinian protests continue to disrupt the race.

Wednesday’s 17th stage ended without any major incident after authorities limited the number of people who could reach the summit where the finish line was located. A couple of Palestinian flags were seen but no one tried to disrupt the race.

Riders had decided to keep going but will reconvene if another protest jeopardizes their safety in the final days of the three-week race that is scheduled to end Sunday in Madrid.

Thursday’s individual time trial originally scheduled on a 27.2-kilometer (17-mile) route in Valladolid has been altered, race organizers announced Wednesday.

“With the aim of ensuring greater protection for the stage, the organizers of La Vuelta, in coordination with Valladolid City Council and following consultation with the College of Commissaires, have decided that tomorrow’s time trial will be contested over a 12.2-kilometer route, with the start and finish remaining as originally planned,” the statement read.

The international riders’ association said the vote had been requested by the riders and it involved representatives of the 23 teams racing in the Vuelta this year. The majority decided to keep competing, and those who voted against had accepted the decision. It did not give any details.

The vote came a day after organizers were forced to cut short a stage because of protesters who are demanding the withdrawal of an Israel-based team from the race. It was the second time a stage was cut short because of the protests.

There was a small protest by people with Palestinian flags at the start of Wednesday’s stage but it did not impact the race.

Giulio Pellizzari of team Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe broke away at the end of the tough final climb to win the stage for his first professional victory. The 21-year-old Italian is the youngest stage winner at the Vuelta since Tadej Pogacar’s first victories in 2019.

“This is the best moment of my career, a short career until now. Today I had a strange feeling. I felt a bit it could be my day,” Pellizzari said. “I was really full gas on the steep part.”

Team Visma-Lease a Bike rider Jonas Vingegaard remained the overall leader, with Joao Almeida of UAE Team Emirates-XRG 50 seconds back in second.

“To be honest, I think I suffered more before the last climb than on the last climb,” Vingegaard said. “The pace was really high today and it was a really hard day. I had hoped to take the victory today but I couldn’t do that, and to gain two seconds in the general classification is better than nothing obviously.”

Organizers had not ruled out cutting the 143-kilometer (89-mile) stage short again to protect riders’ safety. Not having too many fans up the hill near the finish line of the mid-mountain stage helped avoid further protests.