Pro-Palestine activists have broadened their campaign against the presence of Israel-Premier Tech at the Vuelta a España to include hacking the official race radio during a stage.
According to the Spanish state news agency EFE, activists managed to take over the radio emissions during stage 14 from Avilès to Farrapona, broadcasting pro-Palestine slogans and even some songs at certain points of the race.
Race radio, popularly known as 'Radio Tour', is normally used to communicate information from the race organisation to race directors in team cars.
There were also unconfirmed reports of further hacks of the race radio during stage 15, with supporters broadcasting pro-Palestine slogans on Sunday over the radio at around 80 kilometres to go.
Vuelta security sources told EFE that "hacking a radio is a relatively easy task for an amateur radio fan to do. What happened yesterday was purely anecdotal and did not form any kind of risk to the race."
In a separate incident on stage 15, some 60 kilometres from the finish, a roadside pro-Palestine protestor indirectly caused two riders in the break of the day to crash.
Although TV images of the incident do not provide total clarity about what happened, the incident took place in a rural area with few spectators, when a protestor ran out of the woodland, but then fell on the verge.
Two riders, presumably surprised by what was happening just metres away from them, swerved in the middle of the group and crashed. One of them, Movistar's Javier Romo, was only slightly injured and was subsequently able to regain contact.
The latest incidents continue a series of protests throughout the Vuelta a España against the presence of Israel-Premier Tech in the race, which are expected to continue until the race finishes in Madrid.
On Saturday, it was announced that Israel-Premier Tech will race the remaining eight stages of the Vuelta a España 'Israel' on their jerseys, with the team opting to change their kit mid-way through the race due to 'safety concerns', though the team name will not be changed.
The ProTeam, registered in Israel, have been the subject of several pro-Palestine protests throughout the 2025 Vuelta, with their continued participation being opposed most recently by Spain's Foreign Minister to Israel's ongoing armed conflict in Gaza.
Multiple days have been disrupted, including the stage 5 team time trial in Figueres, where they were blocked during their ride, and stage 10 near Isaba, where demonstrators ran in front of the peloton and caused Simone Petillie (Intermarché-Wanty) to crash.
Stage 11 in Bilbao saw the height of the protests in the Basque Country, where the stage was neutralised by organisers 3km from the line with the finale was cancelled due to safety concerns at the finish. Protests continued on Friday's stage to the Angliru, with a smaller demonstration near the foot of the climb delaying the breakaway.
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