Vuelta a España stage 11: Tom Pidcock gains GC time on race leader Jonas Vingegaard as race neutralised with 3km to go

There was no official winner of stage 11 of the Vuelta a España as officials announced late in the race that the GC times would be taken with three kilometres to go due to "incidents" involving protests at the finish line in Bilbao.

Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) made a searing attack over the final ascent, Alto de Pike, with 8.5km remaining, taking the valuable bonus seconds on offer, but he was soon joined by the overall race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) as the pair tried to gain as much time as possible before the neutralisation.

Although both riders had their sights set on a victory, it was not to be, and the pair eventually slowed to a stop as they approached race officials along the road, who were prepared to halt the rest of the peloton.

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"Due to some incidents at the finish line, we have decided to take the time at 3 kilometres before the line,' organisers announced with roughly 15km to go.

"We won't have a stage winner. We will give the points for the mountain classification and the intermediate sprint, but not on the finish line."

Vingegaard continues to lead the overall classification, now with 50 seconds ahead of João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and 56 seconds ahead of Pidcock, as the race heads into stage 12 from Laredo to Los Corrales de Buelna on Thursday.

How it unfolded

The Vuelta a España's stage 11 was expected to be a firecracker of a race as the peloton set on a challenging 157.4km that included seven categorised ascents in and around Bilbao.

Ahead of the race, however, the riders met with organisers and officials from the UCI over concerns of safety amid multiple pro-Palestine protests that have happened during the race so far, including at the stage 5 team time trial in Figueres and a crash caused by demonstrators running onto the course on stage 10 that finished at El Ferial Larra Belagua.

Protests have also included pro-Basque independence demonstrations.

Although the decision was to start the stage, there was an unspoken agreement that if protests turned dangerous, riders could adjust their plans accordingly, with safety as their highest priority.

The peloton was then stopped in the neutral zone as police moved protesters off the road, and the race restarted fairly quickly, continuing without incident.

An early breakaway emerged, featuring Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), points classification leader Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), and Orluis Aular (Movistar Team), which gained over a minute on the field led by Visma-Lease a Bike at the 100km to go.

The gap dropped to 40 seconds as the base of the fourth climb of the day, Alto de Morga (8.2km at 3.5%) and Soler took the opportunity to attack and carry on solo, leaving Pedersen and Aular behind, and the pair were caught on the lower slopes of the ascent.

Soler took the full points over the top, but counterattacks out of the peloton saw Louis Vervaeke (Soudal-QuickStep) and Joel Nicolau (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) pick up the remaining points in their hunt for the mountains classification.

Vervaeke continued in pursuit of Soler, reaching the Spaniard with 60km to go, but the pair were reeled in at the base of the Alto del Vivero (4.3km at 7.9%).

Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep) was the first to attempt to ride off the front of the group on the first time up the Alto del Vivero, and managed to open a gap as the Visma-Lease a Bike-led field seemed relatively content to let him go.

Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain-Victorious) bridged across to Landa, the pair no real threat to the overall classification at more than 15 minutes behind leader Vingegaard.

A chase group of six formed shortly after with Victor Campenaerts (Visma-Lease a Bike), Jordan Labrosse (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Eddie Dunbar (Jayco AlUla), Louis Rouland (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Kamiel Bonneu (Intermarché-Wanty) and Chris Hamilton (Picnic-PostNL), but their efforts were brief.

Crowds cheered as the two leaders orbited the streets of Bilbao, especially for Landa on home roads, and they still faced two more ascents: Alto del Vivero and Alto de Pike before a descent to the finish line.

The field caught Landa at the base of the Alto del Vivero, and Buitrago climbed alone with a slim 25-second lead.

Joāo Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) was the first to attack from the thinning peloton, and a selection formed with the GC favourites that reconnected with Buitrago over the top, including Vingegaard.

The reduced 40-rider peloton merged with about 16km remaining, Visma-Lease a Bike controlled matters at the front, setting a brisk pace through the roundabouts and city streets in Bilbao.

Neutralisation

It was then that race organizers and officials confirmed to competing teams that, due to incidents involving protests at the finish line, the times would be taken with three kilometres to go, and that there would be no stage winner, effectively neutralizing the end of the stage.

Seizing an opportunity on the 16% slopes of the Alto de Pike with 8.5km remaining, Pidcock distanced his rivals, taking valuable bonus seconds moving higher up in the general classification, while Almeida, Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) led a frantic chase behind.

But it was Vingegaard who successfully bridged across to Pidcock, leading the duo into the final stretches of road to gain as much time as possible before the neutralisation with 3km to go.

As they reached the stopping point, Vingegaard and Pidcock finished with about 12 seconds ahead of the next group that included Almeida, Hindley, Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike and Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and about 30 seconds ahead of Bernal, Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) and Matthew Riccitello (Israel-Premier Tech).

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