Israel-Premier Tech have removed their full name from riders’ jerseys for the rest of the Vuelta a España after pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted the finish on stage 11 on Wednesday. The stage ended without a winner after organisers decided to take the time at three kilometres before the line as police struggled to contain hundreds of Palestinian flag-waving protesters in Bilbao. The Israel-Premier Tech team were also stopped on the road by a group holding Palestinian flags during last week’s team time trial in Figueres.
“In the interest of prioritising the safety of our riders and the entire peloton, in light of the dangerous nature of some protests at the Vuelta, Israel-Premier Tech has issued riders with team monogram-branded kit for the remainder of the race,” the team said on Saturday.
“The team name remains Israel-Premier Tech, but the monogram kit now aligns with the branding decisions we have previously adopted for our vehicles and casual clothing.“
The decision drew praise from Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who posted on X: “Great job to Sylvan [Adams] and Israel’s cycling team for not giving in to hate and intimidation. You make Israel proud!”
Before stage 11, the Professional Cyclists’ Association had called for better security at the Vuelta after a number of incidents involving protesters led to concern over rider safety, with the Israel-Premier Tech team the main target. After Wednesday’s incident, the team said they remained committed to continuing the race and respected everyone’s “right to protest, as long as those protests remain peaceful and do not compromise the safety of the peloton”.
Saturday’s stage 14 was won by Spain’s Marc Soler, who left the competition far behind with a solo attack on a climactic category one climb. Jonas Vingegaard retained his lead in the general classification with a second-place finish.
Soler, of UAE Team Emirates-XRG, left his sole pursuer Johannes Staune-Mittet behind on the final 16.9km climb to La Farrapona in the 139.5km mountainous ride from Avilés, opening a gap of more than a minute at the front.
Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) made a late push, finishing 39 seconds behind Soler as Portugal’s João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) followed the Dane to the finish line to stay second in the race for the red jersey.
Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) finished eighth on the stage to remain third in the general classification, two minutes and 38 seconds behind Vingegaard. The British rider said: “I lost a bit more time, but I’m getting better and better at these longer efforts.”
The race continues on Sunday with a 167.8km ride from Vegadeo to Monforte de Lemos.
Meanwhile, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) denied British duo Thomas Gloag (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL) in a sprint finish to win stage five of the Tour of Britain.
The Belgian took the queen stage of the tour at the top of The Tumble in South Wales to move up to second in the overall standings, two seconds behind Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) who finished fifth on the same time.
Evenepoel now has his sights on overall victory with the final stage from Newport to Cardiff on Sunday. He said: “To go out with a GC win, it would be a really good confidence boost for myself after a long period out of competition. We’re just going to give it a last big shot and see how it finishes.”
