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≡ LA VUELTA A ESPANA ≡
“The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) firmly condemns the actions that led to the neutralization of the 11th stage of La Vuelta Ciclista a España.
“The UCI reiterates the fundamental importance of the political neutrality of sports organizations within the Olympic Movement, as well as the unifying and pacifying role of sport. Major international sporting events embody a spirit of unity and dialogue, transcending differences and divisions.
“In this sense, the UCI reaffirms its commitment to the political neutrality, independence, and autonomy of sport, in accordance with the founding principles of the Olympic Movement.”
The UCI statement came just hours after interference in the 80th Vuelta a Espana by pro-Palestinian protestors caused Wednesday’s 11th stage to be ended with 3 km remaining; a radio message from the organizers to the peloton explained:
“Due to some incidents at the finish line, we have decided to take the time at 3 kilometres before the line. 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.”
This followed up a protest against the Israel-Premier Tech team during the stage 5 Team Time Trial in Figueres, where the team was briefly stopped by pro-Palestinian protestors, but was able to finish.
On Wednesday, race leader Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) and Britain’s Tom Pidcock – a two-time Olympic Mountain Bike gold medalist – were at the front when the stage was ended, but gained time on rivals Joao Almeida (POR: +0:10) and Torstein Traeen (NOR: +0:36). Said Vingegaard afterwards:
“It’s unpredictable what will happen in the coming days. I hope we can keep racing, because this is the wrong place for them to protest. What do they want from us cyclists? I can’t do anything.
“To be honest, I think the police did a good job today. The first time we crossed the finish line, we saw protesters trying to get onto the road. The police were able to stop them there. And on the penultimate climb, they [pro-Palestine protesters] tried to stop us, but we were able to get past easily. Other than that, I didn’t really feel unsafe.”
The UCI statement added:
“The UCI would also like to reiterate that sport, and cycling in particular, has a role to play in bringing people together and overcoming barriers between them, and should under no circumstances be used as a tool for punishment.
“The UCI expresses its solidarity and support for the teams and their staff as well as the riders, who should be able to practice their profession and pursue their passion in optimal conditions of safety and serenity.”
There was also a crash during stage 10 due to a pro-Palestinian protestor standing on the road as the race went by. Some riders have asked for the Israel-Premier Tech team to leave the race, but Vuelta race director Javier Guillén told the Spanish news site Marca, “We are going to file a complaint; we cannot allow what happened. When it is protested with violence, it ceases to be a just cause.”
Thursday’s 12th stage was calm, with two significant climbs and then a flat finish into Los Corrales de Buelna at the end of 144.9 km. Spain’s Juan Ayuso and Javier Romo broke away and dueled to the line with Ayuso getting his second race win in 3:16:21. The main contenders were all 6:22 back and Vingegaard maintained his 50-second lead on Almeida and 56 seconds on Pidcock.
Friday’s 13th stage has a brutal finishing climb from 316 m to 1,556 m at L’Angliru over the final 12.4 km and could have a major impact on the race.
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