"At no time have we feared for our safety" - Mikel Landa is not concerned by the growing number of protests

The seventh stage of the Vuelta a España 2025 could be disputed this Wednesday without altercations. Pro-Palestinian protests have been the main protagonists of the edition. It was feared that the finish in El Morredero could not take place (this time because of strong wind), but ultimately there was no problem. What did worry was the decision of the cyclists to abandon if they saw their integrity endangered. For Mikel Landa, there is nothing to fear.

"In general we do not fear for our safety, we know there are protests, but there are police and we are calm. At no time have we feared for our safety," Landa began by saying about the protests against Israel and the team they represent in La Vuelta.

Following his second place in the shortened stage 16, Landa was again under the radar on El Morredero as he crossed the line in a 57th place.

The news of mass abandons in case of recurring problems with route security came out of blue for Marc Soler. The Spaniard has been in the center of action along with his whole team the past few weeks and even won the stage 14 after a strong solo ride.

"This is the first I have heard of it. As far as I know, we have not met. We talked among ourselves about the security issue, that there were some dangerous cases. But we said that we had to try to make our work as safe as possible. We want to get to Madrid safely. That there is no mishap on the road," began Marc Soler after El Morredero finish.

According to the UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider, the Vuelta a Espana organization contacted them to assure them that everything possible is being done and will be done to finish the race in Madrid, on stage 21.

"They have told us they will try to do everything possible and we will try to finish. It's a situation that is not easy at all. We ask for respect so that there are no crashes as there have already been and it's dangerous. But that's all," added Marc Soler, referring to the setback that left Movistar Team's Javier Romo out of La Vuelta.

"What we are asking is that they guarantee the safety of the riders so that we can do our job. That's what the UCI and La Vuelta have to do," concluded the Catalan UAE rider.

The 25-year-old who had become a Spanish time trial champion in the 2025 uphill edition in Sierra Nevada is among the pleasant surprises of this Vuelta. Currently 13th overall, just ahead of teammate Jaume Guardeno, Abel Balderstone seems to be well on the way to secure his career's best GC result at a race as big as Vuelta.

"Yes, in the last few days we were a little afraid that something serious might happen. But today we are happy that nothing like that happened. The Vuelta a Espana wants to continue to Madrid, so we will continue. For us, as a guest team, it's a dream to be able to finish. It could cause doubts in the peloton, I don't know, but for the moment we're going on," he said.