Egan Bernal wins shortened Vuelta stage as pro-Palestinian protests again disrupt race
Stage 16 reduced by eight kilometres after protesters blocked the route; race jury took times early and declared a winner
Egan Bernal of Ineos Grenadiers won stage 16 of the Vuelta a España on Tuesday after race directors shortened the stage because of pro-Palestinian protests that interrupted the peloton three kilometres from the finish.
The 26-year-old Colombian completed the revised stage in three hours, 35 minutes and 10 seconds, finishing ahead of Spain's Mikel Landa. Organisers removed eight kilometres from the planned 168km route from Poio to Castro de Herville and credited times early after what they described as "a big protest at three km before the finish line." The decision followed similar disruptions earlier in the race, including a shortened stage 11 that ended without a winner.
Bernal crossed ahead of Landa, with France's Brieuc Rolland third, seven seconds back. Nico Denz placed fourth at +1:02, Clement Braz Afonso was fifth in the same time as Denz, and Bob Jungels finished sixth at +1:10. American Kevin Vermaerke and Britain's Finlay Pickering were credited with the same finishing time as Bernal in seventh and eighth respectively, with Sean Quinn and Rudy Molard rounding out the top 10.
The disruptions have targeted the Israel-Premier Tech team, whose owner is Israeli-Canadian businessman Sylvan Adams. Protesters stopped the Israel-Premier Tech squad during the team time trial in stage five, and stage 11 was curtailed after demonstrators blocked the route. In stage 15 a protester caused a minor crash that involved Spain's Javier Romo; Romo, a 26-year-old Movistar rider, abandoned the race on Tuesday, saying he felt "not feeling very well, mentally or physically" despite having suffered only bruises in the earlier incident.
Jonas Vingegaard of Visma-Lease a Bike retained the overall race lead after stage 16, with Portugal's Joao Almeida 48 seconds behind and Britain's Tom Pidcock third at 2 minutes 38 seconds off the leader. Australian Jai Hindley sat fourth at +3:10, and Italy's Giulio Pellizzari was fifth at +4:21. The top 10 in the general classification also included Felix Gall, Matthew Riccitello, Sepp Kuss, Torstein Traeen and Junior Lecerf.
The Vuelta jury's decision to take times early on Tuesday meant the stage produced an official winner, unlike the previous shortened stage that finished without a victor. Race organisers have repeatedly faced the challenge of balancing rider safety and the continuity of the race while managing protests along the route.
The race continues on Friday with a medium mountain stage of 143km from O Barco de Valdeorras to Ponferrada. Organisers and teams will be monitoring security and route access as the Vuelta progresses.
The protests come amid broader international demonstrations linked to the conflict in the Middle East. Organisers and authorities have noted the demonstrations are aimed at the Israel-Premier Tech team because of its ownership and affiliations. The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023; Gaza health authorities report tens of thousands of deaths in the territory since then. Race officials have not said whether further route alterations will be required beyond routine adjustments for safety and logistics.