The Vuelta a España ended in a mild farce on Sunday, as stage 21 of the Spanish Grand Tour was cancelled amid overwhelming pro-Palestine protests in Madrid.
It meant not only no winner of stage 21, the second time there was no stage result at this year’s race after Bilbao, but no official podium presentation too. There was, however, a makeshift podium presentation later.
The Vuelta was dogged by protest throughout, with Israel-Premier Tech’s involvement the main point of contention, while Israel’s invasion of Gaza continues; Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has previously called Israel’s actions genocide. More than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s invasion of Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, in response to the Hamas-led October 7 terrorist attacks, in which more than 1,200 people died.
“Nowadays, sport is increasingly being used as a platform to address social issues,” Plugge said. “We must realise that sport is essentially about connection. It can build bridges and foster mutual understanding. But the participants must be protected: they cannot become victims of this societal debate.
“That debate must always remain outside the athletes’ arena. Athletes should be free to fight their battles on the field of play, in our case, on the road. Otherwise, the very essence of sport as a unifying force is at risk.”
Ineos Grenadiers rider Michał Kwiatkowski warned that the protests had set a dangerous precedent, after multiple stages were shortened, changed, or cancelled due to direct action. Cycling is a vulnerable sport when it comes to interruption – not every metre of road can be policed.
“If the UCI and the responsible bodies couldn’t make the right decisions early enough, then long-term it’s very bad for cycling that the protesters managed to get what they wanted,” he wrote on social media. “You can’t just pretend nothing is happening.”
“From now on, it’s clear for everyone that a cycling race can be used as an effective stage for protests and next time it will only get worse, because someone allowed it to happen and looked the other way. It’s a shame for the fans who came here to watch a great event. Personally, I would have preferred to know in advance that the race was cancelled rather than being led to believe everything was going to be fine.”
Away from the protests, the 2025 race ended with no stage winner, but there was an impromptu podium ceremony in a car park, with Vingegaard crowned next to second-placed João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and third-placed Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) on Visma-Lease a Bike cool boxes.
🇪🇸 #LaVuelta25Boys will be boys. An intimate celebration for the winners of this Vuelta a España! 🍾🙌🏼 pic.twitter.com/s8PG1uUNWSSeptember 14, 2025
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