Scandal at the Vuelta: Many protesters in Bilbao and no winner

(sda/dpa) Numerous demonstrators waving Palestinian flags in the finish area prompted the race jury to call the 11th stage in Bilbao without a winner three kilometers from the finish. The field was briefly stopped by demonstrators in the neutral zone before police were able to clear the road.

At the end of the race, Briton Tom Pidcock and Danish leader Jonas Vingegaard were leading by about ten seconds. The times at this point were used for the overall ranking, allowing Vingegaard to extend his lead.

However, due to the incident, Vingegaard was denied a third stage victory. "It's a great shame. I could have won the stage. The police did a good job. When we crossed the finish line for the first time, we already saw what was going on," the Vuelta favorite told TV channel Eurosport. A tense situation arose during the first stage of the race in Bilbao. Only with great difficulty were security forces able to prevent the protesters from entering the course.

There have already been several incidents in recent days. The Israel-Premier Tech racing team, in particular, has been targeted by protests. On the fifth stage, demonstrators stopped the team during the team time trial. Protests also occurred on Tuesday, resulting in the fall of Italian rider Simone Petilli.

In view of the ongoing incidents, the riders' association CPA also held talks with the race director and representatives of the world cycling association UCI before the eleventh stage.