Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard del Team Visma during the eleventh stage of the Vuelta España 2025, played on Wednesday with departure and arrival in Bilbao.
Photo: EFE – Javier Lizón
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Danish Jonas Vingegaard (Visma Lease to Bike), leader of the Vuelta, was disappointed at the end of the eleventh stage, which was interrupted due to the protests for Palestine. It was his son's birthday and he could not dedicate the victory in the goal planned in the Gran Vía de Bilbao.
“Today is my son's birthday, he has a year, and I really wanted to celebrate it in the goal. We worked all day to get it, and not have the opportunity to win is quite disappointing. I had the ambition to win the stage, and I was in a good position to try,” said the owner of the red shirt.
The goal of the eleventh stage was advanced “for security” at 3 km from the Bilbao goal, where he went first accompanied by the British Tom Pidcock, a member of Q36.5, who fought in turn for getting into the general podium.
“I wanted the victory, and yet I crossed the new goal first. It is a shame not to be able to take a teddy bear to my son today, but I hope to have two tomorrow,” said Vingegaard, who expressed his recognition to the work of security agents before the incidents of the stage.
“I think the police did the best possible job. The first time we crossed the goal, we saw that there were people and many protesters, but the police tried to block them as much as possible. In the second climb there were also some that hindered us, but I did not feel especially insecure,” he said.
After receiving on the radio of his team from the news of the early conclusion of the stage, Vingegaard felt a great disappointment. ”“ He wanted to follow Tom Pidcock, who was very fast on the climb, and managed to reach it in the descent. I am not sure if he realized that today there was no stage winner, because he seemed to continue, ”he concluded.
This was stage 11 of the Tour of Spain
The return to Spain 2025 lived on Wednesday an atypical day in Bilbao with the dispute of stage 11. On paper was a steep tour, with seven mountain awards, in addition to a special sprint. However, the attention focused on both the road and outside it.
The route contemplated an extension of 157.4 kilometers and 3,185 meters of unevenness. However, when 10 km were missing for the end, the organization decided that the stage would be neutralized in the absence of three kilometers because pro-palestine activists blocked the arrival line.
The beginning of the stage was also marked by the protests. After the departure from the immediate vicinity of the San Mamés stadium, the squad was arrested for a few minutes. A group of supporters of the Palestinian cause interrupted the march to reject the participation of the Israel-Premier Tech team.
Today, these Catalan protesters have paralyzed the Tour of Spain in solidarity with the people of Palestine as it passes through Olot and in rejection of the participation of the Israel cycling team. Big. pic.twitter.com/qvxu82fATo
– Fonsi loaiza (@fonsiloaiza) August 28, 2025
Banderas and messages in favor of Palestine were repeated throughout Bilbao, following a trend already seen in this edition of the race. For example, in the fifth stage, a team counterreloj, a group of activists hindered the passage of the Israeli squad.
The return to Spain will continue this Thursday with its twelfth stage with a new steep day. The platoon will leave Laredo and set up to the pens of Buelna. The route will be 144.9 kilometers of extension and 2,393 meters of positive unevenness.
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