Estonian cyclist caught up in Wednesday's La Vuelta pro-Palestine protest disruption
It is not yet known how this year's La Vuelta a España cycle race will pan out following Wednesday's disruption by protesters, Estonian competitor Madis Mihkels said.
Mihkels said local police have been unable to fully control the situation, adding cyclists have to be warned ahead of stages potentially being marred by protests.
Wednesday's stage 11 was disrupted by pro-Palestine protesters from around 3 kilometers before the finish line, to the extent that no eventual stage winner could be declared.
The protest was reportedly also against the participation of the Israeli cycling team Israel-Premier Tech.
Mihkels, 22, who races for the EF Education – EasyPost team and is the sole Estonian racing in La Vuelta, the last grand tour event of the year, told ERR that actions like those seen Wednesday are not pleasant for any rider. "We rode the whole stage but no one managed to record results. A wasted day," he said.
It was not the first time protests had disrupted racing either, he added. "That happened a couple of stages before too."
Racers are warned beforehand at the pre-stage muster that protests and protesters may be seen; as things stood on Thursday morning, protests could be seen surrounding Thursday's stage too. "Everyone has been informed, it doesn't need to be talked about much. By expectations [Thursday] won't be much better. The police cannot contain it sufficiently well at the moment. I don't know what will happen next," Mihkels said, adding that the rumor mill has it that these protests are not against Israel or in support of Palestine, but oppose the race itself. "I have heard rumors that now the protests are against the Vuelta itself. Not against the Israeli team being present."
The official video clip of stage 11 shows Palestinian flags among the other flags flown by spectators. At one point, a small number protesters are seen obstructing progress of the race start by standing in the road bearing a banner and Palestinian flags.
The BBC reported there was no final winner fro stage 11 of the Vuelta a España as race organisers ended Wednesday's racing three kilometers before the finish line because of pro-Palestinian protesters.
The announcement about the early finish on what was supposed to be a 157.4km stage, starting and finishing in Bilbao, came with about 20 kilometres to go.
A week ago, August 27, protesters also disrupted the Israel-Premier Tech team at the time trial held that day, but police managed to clear the protesters blocking the road before the team arrived and no accidents occurred.Mihkels said some of the protesters "seem fearless; we are coming at 60 [kilometers per hour] and they just run onto the road in front," adding that he feared worse outcomes could result from this than those already seen.
Overall, Mihkels has put in some solid performances in this, his first Vuelta in stage breaking into the top five for the first time in a grand tour. "In terms of how I feel, everything is good, I get as much support from my teammates as possible. It is good to see that everyone is motivated, that part is good," he said.
One other cloud on the horizon is a lack of team support at the end of stages, he added, which he says has contributed to his ceiling being a fifth place finish.
"Two sprints are still to come, I hope the race continues until then. I still see that it is possible to do better. With good luck maybe some team fails. I believe in my chances," he added.
Thursday's planned stage followed the 144.9-kilometer Laredo - Los Corrales de Buelna route; in any case, Mihkels said he saw his own chances of success as coming towards the end of the tour, which ends a week on Saturday. This Sunday's stage 15 might also bring potential he added, at least for staying in the peloton.
"It definitely depends on what style we ride – whether the [breakaway] goes immediately or whether there will be a big fight for it," he said. "By profile that day is suitable for a breakaway, the battle for it could be hard," he added.
While the winner was not declared at the disrupted stage 11, the points earned for the mountains and intermediate finishes were recorded.
Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) remains overall leader.
The Israel-Premier Tech team has stated pulling out of Vuelta would "set a dangerous precedent," the Guardian reported.
The official race site is here.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Aivar Tiisler, Kristjan Kallaste, Siim Boikov.
