When stage 11 of the Vuelta a España rolled out from close to the emblematic San Mamés stadium in Bilbao early on Wednesday afternoon, there was little to indicate that the day’s racing would end in the same place – but with no winner, a partly-suspended stage and the overall leader questioning the viability of the entire event.
The presence of just one or two pro-Palestine flags, in an event marked by protests even in the earliest stages against the continuing participation of the Israel-Premier Tech squad, was surprisingly low. Nor did the armed police presence, just three or four visible around the Israel-Premier Tech bus, seem particularly heavier than usual. The absence of Israel-Premier Tech riders at the sign-on or for interviews had become the norm.
Finish area
Meanwhile, at the buses, riders appeared in dribs and drabs, having ridden past lines of spectators – many of them cheering – all the way to the buses. But rather than ask about how the race had played out, most of the questions were along the lines of – What will happen now? Were you ever at risk? How hard was it to focus?
The most striking aspect of all was the 15 to 20 riot police gathered around the Israel-Premier Tech bus. Inside their lines, none of the riders were visible, having headed straight inside the bus. There were no more protests, though, just more and more questions, with knots of journalists gathered around directors, and visibly stressed organisers, trying to work out what had happened, what the effects were and above all – where the race would go from here.
The Vuelta a España has been affected by political protests in the past, most notably in…
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