Ongoing protests against the conflict in Gaza have impacted the Vuelta a España again on stage 16, with a large protest blocking the road at the 3km to go mark, preventing the organisation from holding the stage finish in Castro de Herville.
The race director announced that the GC and stage winner would be decided with 8km to go.
The news came with just over 10km to go as Mikel Landa (Soudal-Quickstep) and Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) were off the front of the day's breakaway.
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Bernal was declared the stage winner after out-sprinting Landa to the improvised finish line.
The protests aimed at Israel-Premier Tech's presence on the race come one day after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced nine measures aimed at stopping "the genocide in Gaza, pursue its perpetrators and support the Palestinian population", according to AFP.
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. So far, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, at least 64,000 people have been killed by Israeli attacks, with much of Gaza being destroyed.
The Prime Minister has been one of the most senior European leaders to call the situation in Gaza a "genocide", and angered the Israeli government by recognising the Palestinian state.
Spain this week imposed an arms embargo against Israel and has barred Israeli military vessels from Spanish ports as part of the measures.
The atmosphere in Spain has led to increasing protests at the Vuelta a España, with stage 11 in Bilbao being halted before the finish and no stage winner declared. Other stages have been affected when protesters spilled into the roadway.
On stage 10, Simone Petilli (Intermarché-Wanty) crashed as the peloton was forced to swerve through protesters on the course.
On Sunday's stage 15, an individual running toward the road tripped and fell, causing an abrupt movement in the bunch that led to a crash of Javier Romo (Movistar), who abandoned on Tuesday.
There is no sign of the protests letting up, as Israel is currently warning Palestinians to evacuate Gaza city before it launches a "hurricane" of strikes on the enclave.
Israel-Premier Tech have refused to leave the Vuelta, calling such a move "a dangerous precedent". They removed the word "Israel" from their jerseys and have continued to race despite Spain's Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares being in favour of the team's departure.
The UCI is the only governing body with powers to remove a team from the Vuelta.
Race leader Jonas Vingegaard expressed sympathy with the protesters, telling the Danish TV2 channel, "I think those protesting do so here because they need a forum to be heard. They want the media to allow them that possibility to be heard, so they do it here. Of course, in a way, it's a shame it happens exactly here [at the Vuelta], I think a lot of us [riders] think so, but again, I think they're just desperate to be heard."
