Israel-Premier Tech will not withdraw from the Vuelta a España 2025. The eleventh stage to Bilbao on Wednesday afternoon had no winner because pro-Palestinian protests repeatedly disrupted the finish. Vuelta’s technical director Kiko García said earlier on Wednesday that he hoped Israel-Premier Tech would pull out of the race themselves. The ProTeam is not heeding that call.
The Vuelta organization intervened after the chaos at the finish and decided to take the time for the general classification three kilometers before the finish. Afterwards, the riders were instructed to go straight to the buses without crossing the finish line, as the organization could not guarantee safety. This upset many riders, including Tom Pidcock. He appeared to be the strongest on Wednesday and was riding with Jonas Vingegaard to battle it out for the stage win. As a statement, the Brit still crossed the finish line.
Afterwards, there was, of course, much debate about the organization’s decision. "Last night, I spoke until the early hours with the team manager of Israel-Premier Tech to see if they themselves noticed the increasing pressure," García said. "I will not disclose their perspective, but there is only one solution. We cannot accept this, but temporarily and with priority on everyone’s safety, there is only one solution: that the team realizes that their presence here does not promote the safety of everyone."
Israel-Premier Tech stands firm
Earlier on Wednesday afternoon, it emerged that other teams would also prefer Israel-Premier Tech to leave the race for safety reasons. The ProTeam responded with a firm statement late Wednesday evening that they will not do so. "Israel-Premier Tech is a professional cycling team. Therefore, the team remains committed to its participation in the Vuelta a España. Any other outcome or action sets a dangerous precedent in cycling—not only for Israel-Premier Tech but for all teams."
"Israel-Premier Tech repeatedly emphasizes that it respects everyone’s right to demonstrate, as long as these protests are peaceful and do not jeopardize the safety of the peloton. The Vuelta organization and the police are doing everything within their power to create a safe environment. The team is very grateful for that. Nevertheless, the behavior of the demonstrators in Bilbao was not only dangerous but also counterproductive, and they deprived the Basque fans of the finish they deserve."
