Jonas Vingegaard has spoken about the protests that have punctuated the first two weeks of this year’s Vuelta a España, the race leader and two-time Tour de France winner suggesting the pro-Palestine protesters are “just desperate to be heard” and “do it for a reason”.
Movistar rider Javier Romo crashed during yesterday’s 15th stage after a man waving a Palestinian flag ran out towards the breakaway and tripped at the roadside. It was the latest protest incident at the Spanish Grand Tour, following other crashes and a high-profile stage neutralisation in Bilbao last week.
Una persona con una bandera de Palestina provoca la caída de Javi Romo en la fuga.
#LaVuelta25 pic.twitter.com/sMvxiRh0i0
— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) September 7, 2025
Much of the anger has been aimed at Israel-Premier Tech’s presence at the race, the team insisting they will not leave — billionaire team boss saying they will “not surrender to the terrorists” — although they will now race in a kit without the team name due to the “dangerous nature of some protests”.
The protests and Israel-Premier Tech’s responses have attracted media attention around the world and became so high-profile that, on Friday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the team for “not giving in to hate and intimidation”.
Red jersey Vingegaard’s Visma-Lease a Bike team have been at the centre of the debate around Israel-Premier Tech’s presence at the race, American rider Matteo Jorgenson last week calling for them to leave due to safety concerns around the protests.
And while Vingegaard reacted to Wednesday’s Bilbao stage’s cancellation by suggesting protesters’ anger was in “the wrong place” as professional cyclists “can’t do anything” about the situation in Gaza; the Dane appeared to have reconsidered his stance following yesterday’s latest demonstrations.
Speaking to Danish broadcaster TV2, an interview later shared and translated on social media by reporters and cycling fans from Denmark, Vingegaard said back in the peloton they “didn’t hear so much about” stage 15’s crash in the breakaway.
“But in relation to the discussion about the protests, you know, people do it for a reason, it’s horrible what’s happening currently and I think those protesting do so here because they need a forum to be heard,” the current race leader said.
“They need 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, I think a lot of us (riders) think so, but again, I think they’re just desperate to be heard.”
The stage was won by compatriot Mads Pedersen, however like so much of this Vuelta, much of the post-stage discussion centred around the protests.
Over the weekend Israel-Premier Tech said its riders would ride in a kit without the team’s name due to the “dangerous nature of some protests”. This is a measure the team has long-since implemented away from races, a spokesperson telling us back in spring 2024 that team vehicles and training kit no longer displayed mention of Israel.
Last week saw tensions and demonstrations peak as the race visited the Basque Country for two stages, the second of those, in Bilbao, cut short due to protesters shoving barriers and trying to disrupt the finishing straight. ITV journalist Daniel Friebe last night reported that the Vuelta’s organisers have denied the idea stage 21 in Madrid could be cancelled due to security fears.
British rider Tom Pidcock had looked set to contest the Bilbao stage finish against Vingegaard that day and later suggested, “Bike racing has got nothing to do with what’s happening.”
“Putting us in danger isn’t going to help your cause,” Pidcock said. “That simply isn’t going to help what they’re protesting for. Everyone’s got a right to protest whatever they want, but putting us in danger is not the way forward.”
Israel-Premier Tech have repeatedly insisted they will continue to race until the final stage in Madrid, arguing “any other course of action sets a dangerous precedent”.
“Israel-Premier Tech is a professional cycling team,” a spokesperson said. “As such, the team remains committed to racing on at the Vuelta a España. Any other course of action sets a dangerous precedent in the sport of cycling not only for Israel-Premier Tech, but for all teams.
“Israel-Premier Tech has repeatedly expressed its respect for everyone’s right to protest, as long as those protests remain peaceful and do not compromise the safety of the peloton. The Vuelta a España race organisation and police are doing everything in their power to create a safe environment and, for that, the team is especially grateful.”
On Friday, billionaire team boss Sylvan Adams – who attended Donald Trump’s inauguration, encouraged US attacks on Iran in June, and called on Israel to “finish the job” in Gaza – commented on the protests at the Vuelta, saying his team will not “surrender to the terrorists”.
Adams has previously described the team as “ambassadors” for Israel and a means of promoting a “more realistic vision” of modern Israel. Calling rumours the team would change its name in the future “fake news”, Adams said they will “never ride without the name Israel”.
Hours later, the official Prime Minister of Israel account on Twitter posted a quote from Benjamin Netanyahu stating: “Good job to Sylvan and Israel’s cycling team for not giving in to hate and intimidation. You make Israel proud!”
While many on the race — riders, team staff and organisers — will be relieved for today’s rest day, the frequency and impact of protests doesn’t look like it is going to slow down into the final week, raising concerns from some that the Madrid finale on Sunday may be impacted.
The organisers have reportedly denied the final stage risks cancellation over security fears, although it seems almost certain that we’ll see further protests this week.
13 thoughts on ““People do it for a reason, it’s horrible what’s happening”: Jonas Vingegaard defends Vuelta’s pro-Palestine protests, after latest crash caused by demonstration”
Dear jonas, you are a total
Dear jonas, you are a total idiot supporting any criminal being paid by terrorists to terrorise our sport, mixing politics with sports. I wonder what would you say if your ass was on that crash. Also you are a total idiot thinking for one second that these idiots with the palestine flags know anything about palestine or where it resides on the map. People in sports should reside away from politics.
Israeli government spokesman
Israeli government spokesman perhaps?
darnac wrote:
Maybe Jonas and you should recomend to UCI for next year to include the TdG (Tour de Gaza) instead of the Vuelta, as a pure support to your cause, as a means to prove that the best support for such a cause are sports events of global scale.. like the 1972 Munich Olympics perhaps? Oh, and btw, fans from the Basque region get a free ticket to visit as spectators (and active fans !)
What cause? I just don’t like
What cause? I just don’t like to sée slaughter caused by a supposedly démocratic state. Slaughter I might expect from Hamas but I’m old enough to remember a différent sort of Israël (if that wasn’t just an illusion too).
What keyboard are you using?!
What keyboard are you using?!
Many, many people would
Many, many people would happily visit Gaza and Palestine. But they can’t because it has been under an illegal blockade by Isreal for over 20 years. The same with the occupied West Bank – all movement, entry and exit is controlled by Isreal which illegally occupies Palestine. So we would love to visit Gaza – there are humanitarian ships attempting to deliver baby formula and food but Isreal illegally abducts the workers from international waters and holds them in prison – which is illegal under international law. No baby formula is permitted to enter Gaza by Isreal – to speed up the starvation and genocide.
Criminals being paid by
Criminals being paid by terrorists?
Back it up, or shut up.
You don’t have to know where Palestine is on the map to know that murdering children, press and aid workers is wrong.
To quote Sir Arthur Bomber
To quote Sir Arthur Bomber Harris ‘The Nazi’s entered this war on the rather childish delusion that they were going to bomb everybody and nobody was going to bomb them’.
“They have sown the wind and shall reap the whirlwind”.
I don’t know what authority
I don’t know what authority you think the World War 2 general Arthur Harris is on the (4th) Geneva Convention of 1949, which extended protection to civilians during wartime. You are effectively admitting that Israel is committing war crimes against the civilian population of Palestine.
Ramz wrote:
No relation but he was Marshal of the Royal Air Force – “general” is solely an army rank.
I don’t know what authority
TBF at the time there wasn’t agreement that previous conventions prohibited strategic bombing, and everyone had done it by the end of the war so the winners didn’t push the point then either.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_bombardment_and_international_law
Yes Jonas
Yes Jonas
Italy played Isreal yesterday
Italy played Isreal yesterday. The stadium was quite empty as no one travelled to the neutral ground in Hungary. The Italy fans turned their backs on the Isreal national anthem and then held up signs that read ‘stop’. The return fixture in Udine will see more protest against Israel’s genocide. The mayor of Udine has said the game should be cancelled and the Italian federation of football coaches has said that Isreal should be expelled from the World Cup qualifiers because of the genocide in Palestine.