There was no stage winner on stage 11 of the Vuelta a Espana today, after race organizers ordered the race to finish three kilometers (1.8 miles) from the line due to pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters causing disruption at the finish in Bilbao.
“Due to some incidents at the finish line, we have decided to take the time at three kilometers before the line,” was the announcement made by the race director on Radio Vuelta.
“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.”
The 157.4km (98-mile) stage, which began and ended in Bilbao, was into the final 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) when the announcement came, while the main general classification riders were battling it out ahead of the peloton.
Before the stage, the Professional Cyclists’ Association (CPA) had called for better security at the Vuelta after several incidents involving protesters had already brought concern over rider safety, with the Israel-Premier Tech team the main target.
Race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Britain’s Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) broke away from their rivals in the final kilometers to come to the premature finish first.
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