Jonas Vingegaard has been confirmed as the winner of the 2025 Vuelta a España after major protests forced the stoppage of the final stage of the race in Madrid.
It had been feared that activists would seek to disrupt the race on the final day of a race that has been impacted by several days of demonstrations against the inclusion of the Israel-Premier Tech team as Israel's military action in Gaza continues.
An official statement from the race organisers said: "For security reasons, stage 21 of La Vuelta has been ended early. There will be no podium ceremony."
Organisers had cut out 5km from the stage following information that a protest was planned in the suburb of Aravaca.
Previously, riders had agreed that they would force the neutralisation of a stage with an incident of protest, prioritising their safety.
Close to 2,000 police and Guardia Civil officers were reported to have been drafted into the Spanish capital for the finale, in what’s the biggest security operation seen in Madrid since it hosted a NATO summit in 2022.
With 58km to go, around 20 protesters blocked the road as the peloton entered the final circuit, disturbing the back-half of the peloton. The whole peloton then stopped with the commissaire’s car to discuss the situation.
The riders then rode neutralised behind the commissaire’s car a kilometre further on before stopping again with shakes of heads and an impassioned discussion between the organisers and Carlos Verona (Lidl-Trek) who is one the the riders representing the peloton at La Vuelta.
Images were shown on TV of protesters clashing verbally with police behind the barriers 200 metres before the finish line and another of hundreds of protesters on the course at the 8km sign. Protesters had also entirely blocked off the road at the flamme rouge with 1km to go.
Spanish TV reported that there had been violent confrontations between police and protesters with object thrown at police. It was reported that there were around 3,000 demonstrators in total.
Shortly after, Vingegaard was seen shaking the hands of his Visma-Lease a Bike team-mates, a signal which could be interpreted as the conclusion of the Vuelta, not at the finish in the centre of Madrid, but on a non-descript piece of road on the approach to the circuit.
The peloton were ushered into their team cars and driven away from the scene.
The day had started in traditional fashion for the final day of a GrandTour with the customary photo opportunities, with each team having their moment at the front of the peloton after Vingegaard was flanked by his five remaining Visma-Lease a Bike team-mates, all decked out in a special black kit with red highlights to mark the occasion.
The protests follow a string of similar demonstrations, which forced changes in two other stages, with finish-lines being moved forward on stage 11 into Bilbao and stage 16, while the time trial in Valladolid on stage 18 was also shortened due to safety concerns.
There were calls from several quarters for Israel-Premier Tech to leave the race. The team vowed to race on, but raced in a changed kit with the word 'Israel' removed.
24 hours earlier, the Dane had rubber-stamped his Vuelta win with a commanding performance on the violent slopes of the Bola del Mundo to all but seal the overall win. Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) was second overall, with Brit Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) securing his first Grand Tour podium in third.
Results
General Classification after stage 21
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma-Lease a Bike, in 72:53:57
2. João Almeida (Por) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +1:16
3. Tom Pidcock (GBr) Q36.5 Pro Cycling, +3:11
4. Jai Hindley (Aus) Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, +3:41
5. Matthew Riccitello (USA) Israel-Premier Tech, +5:551
6. Giulio Pellizzari (Ita) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +7:23
7. Sepp Kuss (USA) Visma-Lease a Bike, +7:45
8. Felix Gall (Aut) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, +7:50
9. Torstein Træen (Nor) Bahrain Victorious, +9:48
10. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma-Lease a Bike, +12:16
