"It was an act of violence" - Vuelta director Javier Guillen tackles complicated Israel - Premier Tech TTT

Israel - Premier Tech were the target of a protest during the fifth stage of the Vuelta a Espana this Wednesday afternoon, albeit this time a more direct approach that directly harmed their performance. The team was stopped because of a road block, and Vuelta director Javier Guillén was upset at the situation that had unfolded.

"It was an act of violence. Some people attempted to boycott the race by preventing Israel Premier Tech from passing. We will file a police report; we cannot allow what happened to happen again," Guillén shared with Marca.

At the Giro d'Italia the team's presence saw similar action take place on one of the sprint stages where by quick action of the police, two protestors didn't find themselves blocking a fast-moving peloton towards a sprint - although they harmed two breakaway riders that had a shot at a stage win. At the Tour de France on stage 11, a man ran next to stage winner Jonas Abrahamsen in the finishing straight as the Norwegian outsprinted Mauro Schmid.

Both naturally come as a reflex of Israel's actions in Palestine, and the calls for the team's exclusion from the race (as well as others throughout the year) have been a reoccurring topic. One that is certain not to end either as the team will not be removed from the race and Guillén defends their sporting right.

"Any protest is respectable if conducted peacefully: nothing happened, but it could have happened. Israel is not an 'invited' team; they participated in the Tour and the Giro on their own merits, and nothing can prevent them from participating in the Vuelta," he argues. "A complaint is one thing, but what happened is another". With the racing entering Spain only on it's fifth day, it could be that in the coming stages we will see more actions of the sort take place.