Former Vuelta a España winner Sepp Kuss (Visma–Lease a Bike) has added his voice to the calls for increased rider security after pro-Palestine protests led to the suspension of the race's stage 11 at Bilbao.
Although the bulk of the stage through the Basque Country took place, the last three kilometres were cancelled as protestors rendered it impossible for the race to approach the finish line safely.
Kuss told Spanish television after the stage that he was convinced that the race would reach Madrid, but he said that it was clear that some kind of action had to be taken, given the ongoing tension.
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On the racing front, although he pointed out Vingegaard could get some time on João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) in the final ascent of the Pike, after a lot of work by Visma–Lease a Bike, the turmoil at the finish prevented any further time gaps from potentially opening, sparking what Kuss called "a bitter-sweet feeling." But logically, most of the questions centred on the events in Bilbao, in which three protestors were arrested and four police officers were injured.
"We feared this could happen, the first time we rode through the finish" - starting a final hilly circuit round Bilbao - "there was a lot of stuff going on. It's what we expected as well," Kuss said.
"Every day, there have been more and more people [protestors] about the conflict. It's happening everywhere in the world."
Kuss refused to comment on the reports that at the pre-stage meeting between riders and officials, there had been a discussion about whether Israel–Premier Tech, whose presence is sparking the protests, should leave.
Israel–Premier Tech has said they intend to continue, and barring last-minute developments, will be present at today's stage 12 start, while the UCI has limited itself to condemning the elements of the protest that put riders at risk.
"It's not my place to comment on that," Kuss said, "but it's true that there a lot of risks suffered here in the race because lots of people [protestors] want them [Israel–Premier Tech] out. There is that feeling [amongst protestors] against that team."
Amidst speculation that if the protests in the style of those in Bilbao continued, the whole Vuelta might grind to a halt, Kuss said he was convinced that the race would reach Madrid. But he called for renewed safety measures to be boosted as otherwise an actual competition would be impossible – a comment echoed by his team leader Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma–Lease a Bike), who told TV2 that he "didn't know if the race had had its last stage winner."
"Of course, we'll get there, but I hope that people respect us and that some kind of decision is reached," Kuss said, "because we can't go on like this, not knowing if the stage is going to actually be completed, or if the race is safe."
