"It can’t get worse than it was" – Jonas Vingegaard recalls chaotic protest scenes that overshadowed his 2025 Vuelta a Espana victory

Jonas Vingegaard may have ended the 2025 Vuelta a Espana in the red jersey, but the memories that linger most vividly are not of mountain attacks or GC battles — they are of the chaotic scenes that repeatedly disrupted the race.

Speaking to TV2 after returning home to Denmark following a short holiday, the Vuelta champion reflected on a turbulent edition marked by demonstrations, stage interruptions and even an improvised podium ceremony in Madrid.

The 28-year-old Dane was frank about the scale of the disruption. “It can’t get worse than it was,” he told TV2, insisting the organisers had done “a really good job” under the circumstances, especially in preventing more incidents from escalating.

The 2025 Vuelta became one of the most protest-affected editions of a Grand Tour in recent memory, with multiple finishes altered, barriers torn down and banners stretched across the road in front of the peloton. The race’s planned final podium ceremony in Madrid was cancelled altogether, replaced by a makeshift tribute behind closed doors.

Vingegaard acknowledged that the tension on the roadside was visible throughout the three weeks — but he was quick to make clear that he never feared for his own safety.

“At one point someone had sawn through a tree so that it fell across the road,” he explained. “That didn’t make me feel unsafe, because there were lots of cars and motorbikes driving ahead of us. It would have been strange if they hadn’t spotted it.”

The protests varied in intensity, ranging from peaceful obstruction to outright clashes with police, particularly during the decisive final stage in Madrid. But Vingegaard believes the demonstrators’ intentions were targeted at the race itself, not at the riders.

“I didn’t feel that they tried to do anything dangerous to us, but that they wanted to stop the race,” he said. “In Madrid it was clear that some people simply wanted to cause trouble. They made it dangerous, and it was right that the race was halted.”

One of the Dane’s concerns is that repeated coverage of such actions could unintentionally fuel further attempts to disrupt major races. “It also depends on how much airtime they get,” he argued. “The more exposure it gets, the more incentive they have. I just hope we’re allowed to race as we always have. Apart from the Vuelta.”

His comments echo those of Vuelta race director Javier Guillen, who later labelled the scenes “completely unacceptable”, warning that such disturbances cannot be allowed to set a precedent.

Despite the upheaval, Vingegaard went on to secure overall victory by 1 minute and 16 seconds over Joao Almeida, closing a turbulent but ultimately triumphant chapter. And with the 2026 Tour de France set to begin in Barcelona and hold its opening three stages on Spanish soil, attention now turns to whether lessons from the Vuelta can prevent similar unrest next summer.

For now, the double Tour champion remains optimistic — but not naïve. The 2025 Vuelta pushed the limits of what a Grand Tour can withstand, and his hope is simply that cycling is allowed to return to normal.

“I just hope we can race the way we always have,” Vingegaard said of the situation.