“The story of this Vuelta” – Jasper Philipsen reveals sadness as his family misses out on watching Madrid finale

For Jasper Philipsen, the Vuelta a España ended not with the chance to sprint for a fourth stage win, but with a wave from the team bus after Stage 21 in Madrid was cancelled. The Belgian sprinter, who had already collected three victories during the 2025 edition, poured out his disappointment in his column for Het Belang van Limburg, admitting that the final day’s collapse hit him on a personal level.

He explained that family and friends had made the journey only to see nothing. “They had decided last minute to schedule a weekend trip to Madrid to cheer me on. They didn’t see a single meter of racing,” he wrote. For Philipsen, who thrives on the buzz of a big-city finale as we have seen in Paris before, the absence of a race felt hollow. “Well, it’s the story of this Vuelta, isn’t it? I just washed, but we didn’t sweat much today. Such a shame for us as riders and for the organizers that we couldn’t just do our jobs.”

Stage 21 was meant to bring the peloton through central Madrid for several laps before a sprint, where Philipsen was the overwhelming favourite. Instead, pro-Palestinian protests blocked the route and forced organisers to abandon the race before it even began. Riders were diverted, and within minutes the official message came through: there would be no more racing.

Philipsen captured the surreal nature of it. “We didn’t see many protesters ourselves. There was an initial blockade upon entering Madrid, and then they immediately let us onto the ground. Barely a few minutes later, it was a done deal, and we received the decision in our earpiece: there would be no more racing.”

The cancellation capped three weeks marked by disruption. Earlier in the Vuelta, Stage 5’s team time trial was delayed, Stage 11 was neutralised, Stage 16 had its decisive climb removed, and the Valladolid time trial was cut in half. Madrid was supposed to restore normality with a celebratory finish, but instead became the defining image of a grand tour overshadowed by politics. Ultimately, after the three weeks, the finale ending in such a manner was inevitable.

For Philipsen, the missed opportunity was as much about family as results. He had already secured three stage wins, even while admitting he was not in peak condition. “Not bad for a rider who actually didn’t feel all that great in this stage race,” he wrote. A fourth would have been the perfect finale. Instead, he was left consoling his relatives.

“They made a last-minute decision to schedule a weekend trip to Madrid to come and support me. They haven’t seen a meter of racing. Stupid, but I assume they’ll have a good time without seeing the raging peloton fly by.”

Madrid stage is one of the few certain sprint opportunities in the Vuelta, given most stages had at least one climb. For Philipsen, it was a stage designed to suit him perfectly, and the kind of arena where he is usually at his best.

Despite what Philipsen says, for the organisers, the decision was unavoidable. Local authorities in Madrid, backed by Spain’s Ministry of Sport, insisted rider safety could not be guaranteed. Spanish Sports Minister Pilar Alegría explained during the race that while the protests were understandable given the war in Gaza, the Vuelta had to be allowed to function as a major sporting event. “It would be bad news if a competition of this magnitude had to be suspended. Spanish society cannot and should not remain neutral in the face of what is happening in Gaza. Nor can sport turn its back on the reality that surrounds it.”