Spain’s top cycle race descends into riots

The final stage of La Vuelta a España, one of cycling’s most prestigious Grand Tours, was dramatically cancelled on Sunday, September 14, due to massive pro-Palestinian protests that overwhelmed police and blocked the peloton in central Madrid.

The unprecedented decision to cancel the race was due to safety concerns, and marred a historic moment in the race’s 90-year history, overshadowing Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard’s first Vuelta victory.

The protests, targeting the participation of the Israel Premier Tech team, erupted across Madrid, with demonstrators flooding the Paseo de la Castellana and other key points along the race route. Chanting slogans such as “Es un genocidio” and waving Palestinian flags, activists halted the stage just 60 kilometres from the finish, forcing cyclists to a standstill. Some riders, including French cyclist Thibaut Guernalec, reportedly had to physically push their way through the crowds. The situation escalated with violent clashes between protesters and police, which led to organisers rerouting the peloton to the Royal Palace Gardens before ultimately cancelling the stage and the traditional podium ceremony at Plaza de Cibeles.

The protests were fuelled by broader tensions surrounding Israel’s participation in international events, with activists like Maria Angeles saying that “terrorists should not be allowed to participate in sporting events.” Another demonstrator, Aznan, a Palestinian native, described Israel as a “military dictatorship, not a democracy.” The demonstrations continued in front of Madrid’s Town Hall and the Bank of Spain, even after the race’s suspension, with police reinforcing their presence to manage the unrest.

President Pedro Sanchez expressed support for the pro-Palestinian protests that have disrupted the 2025 Vuelta a España cycling race. In his first public comments on the issue, delivered during a Socialist party gathering in Malaga on September 14, he stated that the demonstrations filled him with “pride” and highlighted Spain’s role as an example in defending human rights, even though the demonstration descended into what can only be called a riot.

Spanish political figures were sharply divided over the events. Second Deputy Prime Minister and Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz praised the protests, stating on X that “Spanish society does not tolerate the normalisation of the genocide in Gaza in sporting and cultural events” and called for Israel’s exclusion from such events, indicating deep public divisions with the PP-led Madrid regional government and Madrid Council.

Madrid Mayor José Luis Martinez-Almeida condemned the “violence” of the protesters, which he claimed forced cyclists to the ground, describing the day as one of the “saddest” in the capital’s history. He attributed the unrest to inflammatory remarks by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who had expressed support for the protests earlier that day.

Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijoo of the Popular Party slammed the government, accusing it of enabling an “international embarrassment broadcast worldwide.” While defending the right to free expression, Feijóo said that protests should not involve violence or disruption.

The race, already marred by earlier disruptions in Bilbao and Castro de Herville, was further overshadowed by the forced removal of “Israel” from the Israel Premier Tech team’s jerseys. Vingegaard’s victory, which added La Vuelta to his two Tour de France titles, was eclipsed by the chaotic atmosphere. The cancellation of the podium ceremony, where American rider Matthew Riccitello was set to be honoured as the best young cyclist, showed the extent to which political tensions dominated the event and everything else in recent days.

La Vuelta’s official X account confirmed the stage’s cancellation for safety reasons, leaving the cycling world stunned with the legacy of a race defined more by off-road conflicts than athletic triumphs.