Jonas Vingegaard of Visma-Lease a Bike won the Vuelta a España on Sunday after organisers cancelled the final stage amid pro-Palestinian protests in Madrid.
“It is still unknown whether there will be a winning ceremony with the situation as it is, with thousands of protesters filling downtown Madrid,” organisers said. “The race has been officially ended and Jonas Vingegaard is the winner.”
Protesters repeatedly halted cyclists and clashed with police during the final leg of the race. Images on the local TV station RTVE showed protesters overturning metal barriers and occupying the race route at several points as police attempted to push them back.
Protesters threw barricades into the middle of the street on Gran Via, one of the city’s main thoroughfares through which the race had been due to pass.
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The clashes came hours after Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez said he admired the pro-Palestinian protesters whose activities along the race route led some riders to threaten to quit the competition last week.
With large demonstrations anticipated, more than 1,000 police officers had been deployed on Sunday as cyclists reached the final stage of the 21-day race in Madrid.
The protests, which have targeted the Israel-Premier Tech team over Israel’s actions in Gaza, have disrupted several stages of the race, which was due to end at 7pm local time (6pm Irish time).
“Today marks the end of the Vuelta,” Sánchez told a Socialist party rally in the southern city of Malaga. “Our respect and recognition for the athletes and our admiration for the Spanish people who are mobilising for just causes like Palestine.”
