Vuelta time trial cut to just 12.2km amid security concerns
Another stage has been shortened at the Vuelta a España amid ongoing protests over Israel-Premier Tech's presence in the race. Due to security concerns in Valladolid, the stage 18 time trial has been reduced to 12.2km.
The pivotal stage 18 time trial at the Vuelta a España has been cut to just 12.2km in length due to security concerns in Valladolid. The stage was originally due to be 27.2km long.
The move comes after repeated human rights demonstrations against Israel-Premier Tech’s presence in the race amid Israel’s ongoing invasion of Gaza.
The Vuelta’s only individual time trial was deemed to be particularly vulnerable to protests after demonstrators had briefly stalled the Israel-Premier Tech squad during the stage 5 team time trial in Figueres.
A heightened security presence had already been planned for the stage, but on Wednesday evening, the Vuelta organisation confirmed that time trial distance had been heavily reduced for reasons of safety.
“With the aim of ensuring greater protection for the stage, the organisers of La Vuelta, in coordination with Valladolid City Council and following consultation with the College of Commissaires, have decided that tomorrow’s time trial will be contested over a 12.2-kilometre route, with the start and finish remaining as originally planned,” read the statement from the Vuelta organisation.
This marks the third time a stage of the 2025 Vuelta has been shortened due to security concerns. Stage 11 in Bilbao was stopped 3km from the finish due to a Palestinian solidarity demonstration along the finishing straight, while stage 16 was halted with 8km to go due to a demonstration on the finishing climb to Castro de Herville.
Vuelta director Javier Guillen had insisted on Tuesday evening that the race would reach Madrid, but it remains to be seen if there will be further alterations to the route to follow the reduced distance of the Valladolid time trial.
There had been reports on Wednesday that the Vuelta organisation was contemplating erecting barriers along the entirety of the time trial route. It is not immediately clear if that consideration influenced the decision to cut the distance so drastically.
Red jersey Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) carries a lead over 50 seconds over João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) into the Valladolid time trial, which was due to be a key confrontation between the two remaining contenders for overall victory. The tenor of the time trial and their wider GC duel has been altered significantly by the reduction in length.
Repeated protests
Human rights protests in solidarity with Palestine have been a daily occurrence on the Vuelta. 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.
The first major incident came during the team time trial on stage 5, when protestors attempted to block Israel-Premier Tech during their effort. Protests in Bilbao and Galicia later led to the shortening of stages 11 and 16.
Protestors also briefly stopped the breakaway at the foot of the Angliru on stage 13, while Simone Petilli (Intermarché-Wanty) crashed on stage 10 after protestors spilled into the road, and Javier Romo (Movistar) was a faller on stage 15 after a police officer ran across the road in response to a demonstrator.
On stage 16, a tree was felled and laid down across the route, though it was cleared by the organisation before the race came through. Riders also indicated that thumbtacks been thrown onto the road along the route.
On Wednesday morning, the Vuelta peloton voted to neutralise racing on stage 17 in the event of further disruption, though the stage to the Alto de El Morredero ultimately passed off without incident.
The local government in Madrid announced on Wednesday that it is deploying some 1,500 additional law enforcement officers for the final two stages of the race this weekend in what has been described as the city’s biggest security operation since the 2022 NATO summit.
Ahead of the stoppage in Bilbao last week, it emerged that multiple riders on the Vuelta had requested Israel-Premier Tech to withdraw from the race in the interests of the safety of the peloton. The call was echoed by Vuelta technical director Kiko García in Bilbao that afternoon and later by Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares.
Israel-Premier Tech, owned by Canadian businessman Sylvan Adams, later confirmed that they would stay in the Vuelta, and they received a message of support from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Since Saturday, the team’s riders have been racing in kit without the Israel-Premier Tech name as a safety precaution.
