Vuelta | The Tour of Spain in the shadow of the war in Gaza

At the Vuelta a España, protests against the Gaza War are increasingly overshadowing the sporting events. The second week in particular was marked by numerous pro-Palestinian statements , which severely impacted both the cyclists and the organization of the race. For example, there was no stage winner on the 11th stage: Due to massive demonstrations in the finish area and the resulting security concerns, the route was shortened, and the riders were routed directly to the buses without a sprint to the finish. This decision was praised by the riders, support staff, and teams as the right one.

Dangerous protest

On stage 13, demonstrators with a banner held up the day's breakaway for about 30 seconds at the foot of the Angliru climb, ruining their chances of winning the stage. "If there had been a railway barrier, the field would have been stopped afterwards, but that didn't happen here," later complained Christian Knees, sports director of the Ineos team, to which one of the breakaway riders belongs. The Vuelta organizers were completely powerless on stage 15 on Sunday when a person carrying a Palestinian flag rushed towards the day's large breakaway group, but then became tangled up in the flag and vegetation on the side of the road and fell into a ditch. A police officer rushed over from the other side of the road. This chaos on the road unsettled the riders so much that Spaniard Ivan Como and Berlin-born Maximilian Schachmann crashed.

"I don't understand how you can demonstrate against terror by committing terror yourself. It's really comparable to jumping out of the forest and throwing yourself in front of a group traveling at 55 km/h," Schachmann told "nd" with a visibly angry tone. He had previously expressed understanding. "It's completely legitimate and good to show your colors or allow freedom of expression," he said after the cancellation of the 11th stage, but also warned: "It's about doing it peacefully and without hatred towards any people."

Without "Israel"

Discussions about the race's safety subsequently reached such an intensity that Vuelta CEO Javier Guillen felt compelled to emphasize that the rumors that the 21st stage would be canceled due to safety concerns were false. So, the Tour of Spain will continue for now. This includes the Israel Premier Tech team, which has particularly sparked the displeasure of anti-war activists. However, it has not removed the "Israel" logo from the team vehicles and the riders' clothing. It is an attempt at de-escalation.

Sylvan Adams finances Israel Premier Tech and explicitly sees himself and the team as " ambassadors of Israel ." So far, however, he has not been available to discuss the current situation, even though he was present at the Vuelta a España. It's certainly a difficult situation for him, but as a self-appointed ambassador, one should be available to answer questions even in complicated situations. The Israeli racing team plays only a minor role in the race itself. Nevertheless, American Matthew Riccitello is engaged in a thrilling duel for the white jersey of best young pro with Italian climbing talent Giulio Pellizzari from the Red Bull racing team. And Briton Ethan Vernon took two second places in bunch sprints.

Celebrating without wine

So far, two Danes and the aggressive Emirates team have left their mark on the Vuelta. Jonas Vingegaard has led the general classification since stage 10, while compatriot Mads Pedersen has worn the points jersey since stage 4. They could create an unprecedented event: two classification jerseys for Denmark in a Grand Tour. The Emirates team has already clinched seven stage wins. This streak of success has a curious side effect: "If you win once or twice, it's special. But if it happens again and again, that special moment is lost," explained Juan Ayuso, who himself contributed two stage victories. At the last victory on Saturday in La Farrapona, not even the obligatory bottle of wine was brought out for dinner, the Spaniard reported.

Now the rest of the peloton is hoping that Emirates will limit itself to supporting its own captain Joao Almeida in the third week so that he can overtake Vingegaard in the general classification – and therefore stop chasing stage wins from breakaway groups.