"I was a bit scared" - More Vuelta riders come out with their experiences with anti-Israel protests at La Vuelta

The 2025 Vuelta a Espana is one that will stay in the history books for a long time, having had three stages directly neutralized or disrupted due to protests against the presence of Israel - Premier Tech in the race. However these affected most riders in the peloton and two big figures in the peloton have come out to share their experiences that happened throughout the three weeks.

Dylan van Baarle, in words on the In Koers podcast, has explained the outcome of the final day in which the protestors invaded the roads of Madrid and in an uncontrollable way have neutralized and cancelled the final stage and podium celebrations in the Spanish capital - something that has earned both protestors and race organizers immense criticism from fans and cyclists alike.

"I couldn't even imagine finishing in Madrid. We were stopped at the palace and stood there with a lot of Guardia Civil men," the Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider explained. "Suddenly, all hell broke loose at the entrance. There were people all over the sides of the cars. It was like being in GTA. A very strange situation."

The riders got back to the team cars and it became very obvious very quickly that no-one was going to be able to enjoy their arrival into Madrid after 21 days of racing. "We then sat in the car watching and could see what was happening. Those guys were throwing barriers; it was going full throttle. I thought: get out of here."

"Although I also heard rumors that the finish would be just outside Madrid, because we'd already gone off the route on the way, as I saw on my Garmin. It was just a shame."

Besides the neutralized stages, there were several incidents throughout the race where riders crashed due to wreckless movement from protestors. Simone Pettili and Javier Romo being two examples, with the Movistar leader forced to abandon due to his injuries. Wout Poels of Astana had been on the hunt for stage wins and details his own experience.  

"I had one between my wheels. The peloton had already passed through and I was coming, and those people were half-jumping onto the road. I hit one, but I wasn't going to stop. I thought: I'm out of here. They didn't look very friendly, and I was a bit scared," the Dutch veteran admits.

He adds the obvious details which is that he neither supports Israel's actions in Palestine and that he is also completely unrelated to Israel - Premier Tech, who were the target of the protests on paper. "As if I was causing all that trouble there, while I think we're actually on the same wavelength. Some riders were really grabbed there (Victor Guernalec being the obvious example, on stage 21, ed.)".