Vuelta director describes protests that halted final stage as 'unacceptable'

Vuelta a España director Javier Guillén has lamented the cancellation of the final stage in Madrid amid pro-Palestine demonstrations, and he has reiterated that the UCI supported Israel-Premier Tech’s presence in the race despite the protests that repeatedly disrupted the race.

After the Vuelta finished in chaos on Sunday afternoon, without an official podium ceremony and without any substantial comment from the race organisation, Guillén belatedly held a press conference in Madrid on Monday.

“I want to express my regret and condemn what happened during the final stage. Few comments are necessary. The images speak for themselves. Everything that happened is unacceptable. We can't take anything good away from it,” Guillén said in his opening statement.

When the floor was opened to questions, Guillén was asked to outline what discussions, if any, he had held with the UCI during a Vuelta that saw three stages halted prematurely and another halved in distance due to demonstrations against Israel-Premier Tech’s presence in the race amid Israel’s ongoing invasion of Gaza.

The UCI’s lone official statement came after stage 11 into Bilbao was halted with 3km to go. In a statement that didn’t mention Israel-Premier Tech by name, the UCI outlined its “commitment to the political neutrality,” which it said was in line with “the principles of the Olympic Movement.” There was no further statement from the UCI during the Vuelta, and president David Lappartient did not attend the race despite the escalating crisis.

Guillén reiterated that the Vuelta organisation was not in a position to exclude Israel-Premier Tech as the team had qualified for the race as a member of the UCI WorldTour.

“The Vuelta’s position on all of this is clear,” Guillén said. “We are guided by the regulations of the UCI. The UCI sets the rules for participation here. It is up to them to establish the right to sanction or exclude riders during races. We have always adhered to that legal framework. We have remained focused on that and have not wanted to enter into any further debate.

“We spoke with [the UCI] to explain the events we were experiencing here and to get them to take a position. And yes, the UCI did take a position: it issued a statement to keep the Israel Premier-Tech team in the race. 

“We have always been guided by what they have told us. Any action without their consent, moreover, would have led to a series of very negative legal consequences, something that would have affected Spain in the context of international sport.”

Ahead of the Vuelta’s final stage, it was reported that Madrid had deployed its biggest security operation since the 2022 NATO summit in anticipation of mass protests. Despite that forewarning, Guillén insisted that the Vuelta had not considered cancelling the stage beforehand.

“We had meetings with the government delegation, and we felt that the security cordons that had been deployed were sufficient,” Guillén said. “For that reason, cancelling the stage was not considered.”

The protests on the Vuelta have been a source of disagreement between Spain’s left-wing government and elements of the opposition. On the morning of the final stage, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his admiration for those who had demonstrated peacefully on the Vuelta, and he was later accused of inciting the protest by the right-wing opposition Partido Popolar. 

During the stage, Guillén was accompanied in the race director’s car by the head of Madrid’s local government, Isabel Díaz Ayuso of the Partido Popolar. Ayuso was criticised by Spain's sports minister, Pilar Alegría, for posing for a photograph with the Israel-Premier Tech team. 

El País reports that the Madrid local government had pledged €400,000 to host the finale of the Vuelta, but it was not clear if the fee would be paid after the abandonment of the stage. 

“When you call for the boycott of a race, and it’s boycotted, it causes harm to all of us who have to participate in it,” said Guillén, though he insisted his comment was not a criticism of Sánchez. “But we managed to complete all 21 stages.”

Guillén acknowledged, too, that cycling was particularly vulnerable to being interrupted by protests, though he downplayed speculation that the scenes at the Vuelta could be repeated in Barcelona at the Grand Départ of the 2026 Tour de France.

“After this Vuelta, international entities will have to make decisions, but I'm sure Barcelona will have its start and will have a great Tour de France,” Guillén said. “I hope that when that time comes, everything will be resolved and the conflict in Gaza will be over.”

Earlier on Monday, the Spanish prime minister had called for Israel to be barred from international sport. Over 64,000 people, the vast majority of them civilians, have been killed since Israel invaded Gaza almost two years ago in response to the October 7 terrorist attacks, which killed more than 1,200 people.

“I think that debate that’s begun after what happened here in Madrid yesterday should widen and spread to all corners of the world,” Sánchez said on Monday.

“It’s already happening in some parts of the world, and we’ve seen how European governments are saying that as long as the barbarism continues, Israel can’t use any international platform to whitewash its presence. And I think that sports organisations need to ask themselves whether it’s ethical for Israel to keep taking part in international competitions.”