Leaving Vuelta would signal end of team, says Israel-Premier Tech DS

Israel-Premier Tech directeur sportif Óscar Guerrero has insisted that his squad will not leave the Vuelta a España, as it would signal the end of the team. 

Stage 11 of the Vuelta in Bilbao was halted with 3km to go due to protests against Israel-Premier Tech’s presence in the race amid Israel’s ongoing invasion of Gaza. Israel-Premier Tech have been subject to repeated demonstrations across the Vuelta, and human rights activists previously attempted to block the race on stages 5 and 10.

After the stoppage in Bilbao, Vuelta technical director Kiko García suggested that Israel-Premier Tech’s withdrawal from the race was the only way to ensure the safety of the peloton from here to Madrid. On Wednesday evening, Israel-Premier Tech issued a statement outlining that they would continue in the race.

Speaking to reporters at the start of stage 12 in Laredo, Guerrero insisted that Israel-Premier Tech would continue in the Vuelta and see out the remainder of the 2025 season.

“We can’t say we’re leaving,” Guerrero said, according to AS. “We’re talking about a company with 180 families who are making a living from it. And if we say we’re leaving here… Well, we’re also racing in England now, and soon we’ll be going to Belgium, France, Japan, China... What do we do then?”

Guerrero confirmed that Israel-Premier Tech’s owner, the Canadian businessman Sylvan Adams, travelled with him in the team car on stage 11 in order to see the conditions in which the team is racing.

“I wanted him to see the reality of our daily lives,” Guerrero said. “He suffered through it, and it’s very hard for him. He supports us. We’ve never talked about politics within the team, and we’ve been working on this project for nine years. The mentality is to do cycling, our profession. 

“If we drop out here, we know that from now on, we’ll be targeted at every race and we’ll have to get off here, there, everywhere.” 

According to Gaza health authorities and the United Nations, more than 58,000 people, most of them civilians, have been killed since Israel invaded Gaza in 2023 in response to the October 7 terrorist attacks, which killed more than 700 people. There were further demonstrations in solidarity with Palestine before the start in Laredo on Thursday. 

“We understand that people are protesting, and that’s legitimate, but it must be peaceful,” said Guerrero, who added that he could understand why some teams had concerns about Israel-Premier Tech’s presence at the Vuelta.

“Is it better for them that we’re not there? Probably yes. But I would also like them to put themselves in our shoes. I have the support of almost all the directors. In the end, you have to be in our position to give your opinion too, because from the outside, things can look different.”