“People are protesting for a reason” - Jonas Vingegaard defends Vuelta a Espana protests

Week two of the Vuelta a España 2025 has been dominated by off-bike events, and Sunday’s stage 15 was no exception. With 56 kilometers to go, the race was thrown into chaos when a protester ran out from a wooded area and tried to enter the course. The sudden intrusion forced riders in the chasing group behind leaders Jay Vine and Louis Vervaeke to swerve, sending Javier Romo to the ground. Romo was able to continue, but the incident added another layer of tension to a race already marred by repeated protests.

Jonas Vingegaard, who continues to wear the red jersey, shared his perspective with Danish TV2. "People are protesting for a reason; what's happening in Gaza is terrible." He added, "The protesters want to make their voices heard, and I think the media should give them that space somehow. That's why they're doing this. It's a shame the protests are taking place during the race, but these people are desperately looking for a way to be heard."

Earlier in the day, riders and teams were greeted in Vegadeo with chants of "murderers," underlining how the political demonstrations have become a constant backdrop at this year’s Vuelta. Despite Israel – Premier Tech removing the word “Israel” from their vehicles and equipment in an attempt to calm tensions, the protests have continued. The stage 15 incident was unusual in its execution, as the protester tripped and fell himself, but the danger it created was real, leading to Romo’s crash and visible frustration.

In a team press release, Vingegaard also reflected on the race itself. “So far, I’m satisfied with how the Vuelta is going,” he said. “I’ve won two stages and I’ve been wearing the leader’s jersey for quite some time. Today we deliberately chose not to follow the breakaway, with an eye on what lies ahead in the final week. It might have looked easy, but it wasn’t. Once the breakaway had formed, our guys had to work hard to keep the gap within limits. Wilco and Dylan, in particular, spent many kilometres on the front of the peloton. The most important thing is that we came through this stage unscathed. I’m already looking forward to tomorrow’s rest day.”

Vingegaard remains in control of the general classification, holding a 48-second advantage over João Almeida. Almeida, however, reminded the Dane of the challenges still to come when he took a clear victory over him on stage 13 atop the Angliru. With a demanding final week looming, both the racing and the disruptions around it promise that this Vuelta is far from settled.