“Not how you want to do a Grand Tour” – Wout Poels laments Vuelta a España protests disrupting racing and celebrations

Astana rider Wout Poels participated in the Vuelta a España, where he finished in 36th place after an abnormally quiet race in which he was barely protagonist, not getting into any breakaway and never finishing inside the top 20 in any stage. Still, he played a vital role to support Harold Tejada's GC aspirations, as he finished in 12th.

The pro-Palestine protests had a huge impact on the outcome of the Vuelta a España, forcing to cancel the last stage and to neutralize two others. The 37-year old has reflected on the tense atmosphere that surrounded this year’s Vuelta, talking about the protests and how they affected him and the race in general.

Speaking to Domestique, the Dutch rider expressed understanding for the protesters’ cause, while at the same time voiced frustration over the way some of the actions unfolded. “I mean, to do the protest, I really have no problem with that. And I think it's really good when people do it, when they feel something. But if they're going to destroy the finish line, jump in the peloton, yeah, that's a different story,” he said.

Poels described moments during the three-week race when the situation felt uncomfortable. “I was held up, and then I touched a few people to get out of it because it was not really a nice atmosphere to stand in the middle. So yeah, then I was happy to be out of that,” he recalled.

The disruptions hugely overshadowed the sporting side of the event, forcing organizers to cancel the final podium. “It's also really a shame. I always feel really sorry for the winner, for the people who won the jerseys and all these other things that you cannot celebrate properly after three weeks of racing. You put so much hard work into it and then, yeah, you don't have a little party.”

According to Poels, the mood varied from day to day. “It was a little bit of a weird vibe sometimes because some days it went without problem and some days it was just a big mess like the stage in Bilbao, the stage that Egan Bernal won and Madrid,” he said.

Even if he never felt directly threatened, the tension was noticeable, although he didn't quite understand why riders seemed to be the target. “I was not really scared, but the vibe and atmosphere were getting a little bit into that. Like you saw these people, they were so angry, and I understand they're angry, but yeah, it was almost like, I was like, yeah, why are you so angry to me?”

The Dutch rider admitted that keeping focus was difficult. “I think I tried to focus not to think too much about it. I was like, you know, it comes day by day, and we will see what happens because there is not so much you can do. But of course, in the back of your head, you are thinking about it,” he explained.

For Poels, the protests were an unwelcome distraction from the racing itself. “Not how you want to do a grand tour because you trained so hard for it, and you just want to perform and you want to be your best. And yeah, then you have all of these things around it that you cannot control and yeah, it's a very difficult situation,” he concluded.

The veteran rider is set to participate in the World Championships road race this Sunday, where he will join Thymen Arensman, Frank van den Broek, Menno Huising, Bauke Mollema and Sam Oomen in hopes of getting a good result. He is expected to work for Arensman, but he might have his chances to look for his own success if he has the legs.