"It can’t get worse than it was" – Jonas Vingegaard recalls chaotic protest scenes that overshadowed his 2025 Vuelta a Espana victory
Cycling
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.
A Grand Tour run on the edge
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.”
The risk of giving protesters a platform
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.
Eyes now on Spain again — but in July
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.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
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