“I felt safe, there was no moment when I felt in danger,” was how Jonas Vingegaard summed up his experiences in stage 18 of the Vuelta a España, where heightened security and a considerably shortened time trial distance saw pro-Palestine protests take place, but without any major incidents.
More than 450 police were drafted in for the shortened time trial through the streets of Valladolid. The 12.2-kilometre route was almost completely barricaded off in anticipation of possible repeat disturbances, similar to those at the ends of stages 11 and 16, where protesters had caused the race to be partly suspended.
Although there were multiple demonstrations, particularly in the start and finish area of the time trial, the stage passed off mostly peacefully, with one attempt to move onto the route leading to a total of two demonstrators being arrested.
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Vingegaard's opinion was shared by multiple riders, although the underlying high tension surrounding the ongoing presence of Israel-Premier Tech in the race remains unchanged.
In October 2023, a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, sparked Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza. Up until early September, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, at least 64,000 people have been killed by Israeli attacks, with much of Gaza being destroyed.
The dire situation has increased the urgency of protests in Spain and around the world, leading to two stages of the Vuelta a España being shortened, and worries that further stages would be impacted. Organisers shortened the time trial to allow for tighter security, which appears to have worked.
"I didn't see anything special, I just put my head down for the time and concentrated on what I had to do," Markel Beloki (EF Education-EasyPost), the youngest rider in the Vuelta, told reporters at the line.
"Some days are better, some days worse, but simply just have to get through it, day by day."
While the protests were as vocal as ever, scenes at the finish were as normal. Pro-Palestine supporters - contrary to what some local politicians claimed - were able to move around with their flags freely, while other spectators just watched the race, and some even combined both.
The larger gatherings of demonstrators were very audible and visible on TV channels, but stage winner Filippo Ganna agreed with Jonas Vingegaard that he had felt safe, adding that "the organisation did an amazing job."
Overall contender João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) was one of the riders who perhaps suffered the most from the time trial being shortened, given he managed to gain 10 seconds on Vingegaard in such a short course. Team manager Joxean Fernández Matxin recognised that Almeida had been put at a disadvantage, but told El País that "Everything to do with safety is good. They are looking for the common good."
Israel-Premier Tech had tomatoes and paint thrown at race vehicles overnight, El País reported, but after a special police escort guided the team convoy from their hotel to the time trial location to prepare for the race, there were no further direct incidents.
Asked if he had found it harder to focus because of the shorter stage length and the changes, podium contender Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) concurred with Beloki that he simply tried to block it all out.
"I don't pay attention because I'm not involved, I'm not in the riders group" - of team representatives for the race - “Damien [Howsen, teammate] does all that," Pidcock said. "I keep focused on what's important."
If there were changes to the route and so on, he said, he would just adapt to it afterwards.
After a lull in the disruption both on Wednesday and Thursday's stages, things are expected to become more intense again as the Vuelta heads into its final three stages. Protest groups have published the route and estimated times that Friday's flat run from Rueda to Guijuelo will reach various small towns, while Saturday and Sunday will see a considerably boosted police presence once again.
Around 550 police are expected to be present on the final mountain stage to Bola del Mundo, more than four times the usual total of 132. Then in Madrid on Sunday, over 1,100 law enforcement officials - the biggest security operation in the capital since Spain hosted a NATO summit meeting in 2022 - will be present to try and ensure the race can finish as normal.
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