The sporting action at the Vuelta a España was marred by protests during the team time trial on stage 5. TV footage showed some demonstrators with Palestinian flags blocking the road and thus stopping the Israeli team. The cycling team led by sprinter Ethan Vernon had to slow down briefly and the riders almost came to a standstill. Even after some of the pros had ridden through the protesters, they still tried to prevent individual riders from continuing their journey. The team lost a lot of time and ended up in 19th place out of 23 teams. The gap to the winning UAE team was 54 seconds. Afterwards, however, the organisers credited the team with 15 seconds, which moved them up to 14th place.
The fact that such a blockade cannot be categorised as a harmless protest should quickly become clear when you look at the speeds of the professionals during a team time trial. Depending on the section of the route, the riders can sometimes fly over the road at over 60 km/h. The team time trial adds a special challenge. Only the first rider has a full view of the route in front of the team, the team-mates behind have to blindly trust the rider in front and the instructions from the team car.
"It was very annoying for us as a team, annoying for the drivers. A lot of guys are shaken by the incident. It was a shock for us," said Sporting Director Daryl Impey and emphasised: "Everyone has the right to their own opinion, that's fine. However, it becomes difficult when you put our lives at risk when riders are travelling at that speed. At the end of the day, nobody wants to get hurt." According to reports from various media outlets, one man was arrested for "causing serious danger to traffic, resisting law enforcement, disobeying the authorities and disturbing public order". He now has to stand trial.
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However, this incident is by no means the only one. During the Tour de France, the Israeli team was already subject to isolated protests due to the Middle East conflict. During the Tour of France, we noticed not only the special police protection, but also the lack of lettering on the team bus. Presumably a precautionary measure by the team to prevent targeted action against the team bus. However, the sponsors were still visible on the riders' jerseys. But even without the direct involvement of a rider from the Israel - Premier Tech team, a pro-Palestinian protester tried to disrupt the finale on stage 11. A steward was able to push the man to the barriers in time, which is why the sprint between Mauro Schmid (Team Jayco AlUla) and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) was hardly affected, apart from a brief confusion.
In an interview with the Danish magazine Feltet, Danish ex-professional Jakob Fuglsang revealed his thoughts: "Of course it's nicer not to wear the jersey any more. I don't want to get involved in politics, but it's definitely nicer to ride around without the Israel logo than with it." Although the 40-year-old has not been the victim of protests himself, he did mention one possible reason for them. "There are also climate demonstrations during the Tour de France. These are big events that get a lot of media attention," the former cyclist surmised.
Leon Weidner
Working student
