"The worst-managed Grand Tour in recent cycling history ended in a fittingly ramshackle manner on Sunday, with the final stage of the Vuelta a España canceled due to overwhelming anti-genocide protests and no official podium ceremony for the riders who had just destroyed their legs for three weeks. Instead Visma put together a makeshift podium composed of three coolers with numbers Sharpied onto them in front of an official Vuelta banner duct-taped to a van."
"The story of the 2025 Vuelta is not Vingegaard's narrow victory, Tom Pidcock's impressive podium finish, nor Lidl-Trek winning the points jerseys of all three Grand Tours, but rather something happening 2,000 miles away: the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams's Israel-Premier Tech squad has been promoting the genocide's perpetrators, the nation of Israel-on Spanish roads, nominally the domain of Spain's people. Protestors calling for the removal of IPT have thronged the roads in Spain since the race entered the country"
The final stage of the Vuelta a España was canceled because of widespread anti-genocide protests demanding removal of Israel-Premier Tech. Protesters targeted the Israel-linked IPT team owned by Sylvan Adams, accusing it of promoting Israel on Spanish roads amid the genocide in Gaza. Demonstrators repeatedly disrupted the course, causing crashes, downed trees and forcing organizers to shorten stages. Stage 18 was cut in half; three stages had been shortened; Stage 11 was neutralized kilometers from the finish, and Stage 16's finish line was moved up. The UCI and IPT resisted expulsion, and riders received no official podium; Visma staged an improvised cooler podium instead.
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