The eleventh stage of the Vuelta a España did not have a stage winner. About twenty kilometers from the finish, the race directors announced the following message: “Due to incidents at the finish line, we have decided to take the times at 3 kilometers before the finish line. There will be no stage winner. Points for the mountains classification and intermediate sprints will be awarded, but not at the finish line.” Tom Pidcock and Jonas Vingegaard were still able to gain a few seconds on their main rival Joao Almeida in the final for the general classification.
The cause was pro-Palestinian protests, which had already caused disruption earlier in the day. Some teams believed before the start that the targeted Israel-Premier Tech team would be better off withdrawing from the race for safety reasons. They held discussions with the CPA and organizers about this. During the neutralized start, it became clear why. The peloton came to a halt due to new protests, but the riders were eventually able to officially start, albeit with some delay.
After all, a tough hilly stage through the Basque Country awaited, which the riders approached with high spirits. The stage started and finished in Bilbao, comparable to the opening stage of the 2023 Tour de France. Seven climbs were on the route. The course went uphill from the start and stayed that way all day. In the last sixty kilometers, the Alto de Vivero (4.3 km at 7.9%) was climbed twice, followed by the steep Alto de Pike deep in the finale about five kilometers from the finish.
Active Mads Pedersen
The first successful attack came from an indefatigable green jersey. Mads Pedersen set off together with natural attacker Joel Nicolau (Caja Rural Seguros RGA), but behind them, the pace never really settled. Especially Juan Ayuso was eager to get into the breakaway, but after Nicolau dropped back, it was his UAE Emirates XRG teammate Marc Soler who managed to bridge the gap to Pedersen along with Orluis Aular (Movistar).
Pedersen was very active out on the road - photo: Cor Vos
Behind them, it was the Visma | Lease a Bike team that firmly held the reins. Jonas Vingegaard had his sights set on another stage win, as no one got any real space from the controlling rider of the day, Dylan van Baarle. Uphill, Soler then rode solo. The purpose of his breakaway was not really clear, as his lead never exceeded ninety seconds. But Soler kept pushing until he was reeled in again by the frenzied pack at the foot of the Alto de Vivero.
That was the signal for the Basque home rider Mikel Landa to shake things up. In the general classification, the Soudal Quick-Step rider had been out of contention for a long time, so on paper he was allowed to get away by several minutes. Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) saw this as an ideal opportunity and joined the move. However, Visma | Lease a Bike stubbornly kept chasing.
Strikingly, Landa was dropped a few kilometers later by his Colombian breakaway companion. The problem for the Spaniard was unclear, but according to Spanish journalists, it was back pain again. Buitrago kept pushing for a while, but was no match for the peloton’s power. UAE Emirates XRG then took over the chase on the flanks of the Alto de Vivero from Visma | Lease a Bike.
It soon became clear why: Almeida launched a surprise attack 25 kilometers from the line, but red jersey Jonas Vingegaard was present. An attempt by Giulio Pellizzari also came to nothing. About fifteen riders remained on the climb’s summit, including a handful of Visma | Lease a Bike teammates. They regained control and saw many riders returning to the group.
Last 400m in Bilbao completely lined by pro-Palestine protesters, several deep, faced by armed police. Protestors in their hundreds, maybe thousands. Surreal scene. pic.twitter.com/rAVPI95Hsf
— Daniel Friebe (@friebos) September 3, 2025
A bitter end
All signs seemed good for a thrilling finale on the final climb, but then came the painful announcement from the race organizers that there would be no stage winner. Due to further pro-Palestinian protests at the finish, times would be taken at 3 kilometers to go. Points earned at the intermediate sprint and mountain sprints remained valid, but otherwise, the stage ended on a sour note.
The peloton was still allowed to race on the last climb of the day. Remarkably, it was Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) who stirred things up. Vingegaard appeared to struggle and had to give a few meters to the British all-rounder several times.
But with the descent in sight, the Dane fought his way back to Pidcock’s wheel. Thanks to good cooperation, they gained about ten seconds on their main challenger Joao Almeida. Instead of the final podium, Vingegaard and co had to go straight to the buses, as no podium ceremony was held.
Pidcock gave it his all - photo: Cor Vos
Vuelta a España| Rank | Rider | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | 41:14:02 | |
| 2 | - | + 50 | |
| 3 | - | + 56 | |
| 4 | - | + 01:06 | |
| 5 | - | + 02:17 | |
| 6 | - | + 02:26 | |
| 7 | - | + 02:30 | |
| 8 | - | + 02:33 | |
| 9 | - | + 02:44 | |
| 10 | - | + 03:11 |
