“Riders are a little scared” – Tadej Pogacar & Wout van Aert admit unease over potential protests in Canada after Vuelta unrest

Tadej Pogacar has admitted that riders are “a little scared” about the possibility of protests affecting the GP de Québec and Montréal, as cycling continues to grapple with the fallout from the unrest that has plagued the 2025 Vuelta a Espana.

The Slovenian, who makes his return to racing in Canada after sealing a dominant fourth Tour de France title in July, acknowledged that events in Spain have raised concerns in the peloton about the potential for disruption elsewhere on the calendar.

“I think all the riders are a little scared of what could happen,” Pogacar said in Québec ahead of Friday’s race. “We ride at full speed, we give it our all. This is a new problem that can happen to you. We don’t talk about it, especially as a peloton, but between team-mates, yes. When we see what’s going on at the Vuelta, we talk about it and we think it could happen here [in Québec City and Montreal] or in other races between now and the end of the season.”

The 2025 Vuelta has been dogged by persistent pro-Palestinian protests against Israel – Premier Tech, with demonstrators breaching race routes, forcing stage alterations and even leading to the neutralisation of an entire stage. Crashes and security incidents have raised wider questions about the balance between freedom of protest and rider safety.

While no incidents have yet occurred in Canada, Pogacar’s comments underline that the Vuelta’s turbulence has unsettled riders far beyond Spain. The prospect of similar protests targeting other races has become a genuine talking point within teams, even if not addressed openly in the peloton.

Joining Pogacar in Québec is Wout van Aert. The Belgian echoed the Tour winner’s unease, while also broadening the focus to the wider uncertainty facing the sport. “At this point, a lot of riders are worried about these demonstrations but also about what is happening in the world,” Van Aert said. “I am not really aware of what is going on here in Canada. I hope we will have a great race and a few hours of entertainment for everyone.”

Van Aert’s words highlight a key tension: riders remain focused on performance and spectacle, but cannot ignore the heightened atmosphere surrounding cycling since the Vuelta protests began.

For Pogacar and Van Aert, the issue is not abstract politics but the immediate risks of racing. At World Tour speed, any roadside obstruction becomes a danger to health and safety, not only for those in the firing line but for the entire bunch.

Cycling has seen protests before — from Basque independence actions at the Tour de France to climate demonstrations and more in recent years — but the sustained, targeted nature of the Vuelta a Espana disruptions in 2025 has rattled the peloton in a way few previous incidents have.

As Pogacar put it: “We ride at full speed, we give it our all. This is a new problem that can happen to you.”