The organizers in La Vuelta stopped the race three kilometers before the finish line, and because of this, no winner was declared.
The organizers of the competition and the police kept up to the protesters
The 11th stage of Vuelta, the cycling tour of Spain, was over the head of the pro-Palestini protesters. Upon arrival in Bilbao, clashes broke out with the police. Therefore, for the safety of the race, the organizers and the jury decided to finish the three -kilometer stage before the finish line, on the outskirts of the city.
From that point, the cyclists passed the finish line without a particular order and there was no winner. During this time, the finish line was completely occupied by police forces. This stage in Bilbao was a spectacular one, snaking among the hills around the city.
It is the third time in a few days when the vuelta is affected by protests against the Israeli occupation in Gaza. It had already happened in the team-premises counter-Romanometer test, when Israel-Premier Tech, the Israeli team targeted by protests, had to slow down to avoid protesting in the middle of the road, then, again, when Italian Simone Pelli collapsed.
The teams requested the UCI, the World Federation, to take a position to ensure greater safety of the race, and today the CPA, the International Cyclist Union, also announced: “We ask that the Spanish law enforcement forces will encourage safety officials to do everything in their power to ensure the safe race”.
