Wednesday’s eleventh stage of the 80th Vuelta a España brought a problem in the 2025 edition to a head. Protests in support of the Palestinian people caused organziers to declare no winner, the riders’ times taken three kilometres from the planned finish line in Bilbao. By hitting that point first, Tom Pidcock and red jersey Jonas Vingegaard put a little time into João Almeida.
After the protest of Israel-Premier Tech during the team time trial and another disruption of the race by protesters on Tuesday that caused Simone Petilli to crash, team representatives, the riders’ union CPA and race organizers met before Wednesday’s stage to discuss the situation. Some riders have requested that IPT withdraw from the race. Another protest halted the peloton in Wednesday’s neutralized zone and shortened the stage.
The Course
Wednesday was the midpoint of the race, a Basque Country treat consisting of seven Cat. 3 and 2 ascents over 157 km. Alto del Vivero, a 7.9 percent Cat. 2, would be climbed twice in the final 57 km and the final challenge, Cat. 3 Alto de Pike, was short but 9.1 percent and peaked four kilometers from the adjusted finish line in Bilbao.
It was a good day for UAE-Emitrates’ Jay Vine to get in another breakaway and bolster his KOM lead.
However, Vine wasn’t included in the early moves. On the second climb, Cat. 3 Alto de Sollube, green jersey Mads Pedersen led a chase group containing Juan Ayuso, the peloton not far behind. When it all came back together before the crest, Pedersen went again with Vine’s teammate Marc Soler and was first over.
Visma-Lease a Bike kept tabs on the Soler-Pedersen-Orluis Aulur trio on the way to Climb 3, Balcón de Bizkaia, where Soler claimed his own maximum KOM points. The trio wasn’t allowed a full minute’s lead. Soler took his leave on Alto de Morga.
The peloton captured Soler at the foot of Vivero I, sixty kilometers still to race. Mikel Landa, on his least successful Grand Tour season since 2021, skipped clear, drawing Santiago Buitrago after the summit. The duo plummeted down towards the first passage of the finish line in Bilbao, which they crossed 50 seconds ahead of the red jersey group.
Buitrago went it alone before Vivero II, Red Bull setting the…
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