"The Vuelta’s image has suffered badly" – Jan Ullrich and Rick Zabel say Israel - Premier Tech’s continuation shows lack of backbone from race organisers
Cycling
Jan Ullrich and Rick Zabel have delivered a scathing assessment of how the Vuelta a Espana has handled the escalating pro-Palestinian protests that have disrupted this year’s race, warning that the event’s image has already been seriously damaged.
Speaking on their Ulle & Rick podcast, the pair of former professionals criticised the decision-making of race officials, particularly in their approach to the embattled Israel – Premier Tech team. “The organisers are hardly covering themselves in glory,” Zabel said. “The fact is, the Vuelta’s image has already suffered badly.”
Ullrich was equally blunt: “There’s no real backbone. They let Israel - Premier Tech continue and put the decision back onto the team. Somebody has to take responsibility now.”
A Grand Tour plagued by protest
The 2025 Vuelta has been overshadowed by persistent protests against Israel – Premier Tech, with Palestinian flags, banners, and demonstrations becoming a regular sight on the roadside since the opening week. On multiple occasions, protesters have entered the course, leading to security incidents that have affected both the racing and rider safety.
The fallout has been significant. Several stages have been shortened, crashes have been linked to sudden disruptions, and the eleventh stage was neutralised entirely with no winner declared. Most recently, organisers were forced to alter the course of the time trial to mitigate further risks, a rare step in Grand Tour history.
Such scenes have become a regular occurence at La Vuelta 2025
The focal point of the unrest remains Israel – Premier Tech, the World Tour outfit backed by Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams. Vuelta race director Kiko García openly suggested after stage 11 that the team should consider withdrawing in the interests of safety, but the squad has refused, insisting that leaving under protest pressure would set a dangerous precedent.
Instead, the team have modified their jerseys to remove the word “Israel,” replacing it with a pared-back design featuring only a monogram and star. While the move was made to reduce the immediate flashpoints around their branding, Ullrich and Zabel believe the decision has only highlighted the lack of clarity from organisers.
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Ullrich and Zabel: freedom of expression has limits
Both Ullrich and Zabel were at pains to stress that the right to protest should be respected, but drew a sharp line when it interferes with the race itself. “Everyone should be able to demonstrate and express their opinion freely,” Zabel said. “But when it comes at the expense of the race and the riders’ safety, that’s when the two of us just shake our heads.”
The pair argued that by deferring responsibility to the team rather than taking a clear stance themselves, Vuelta organisers have created confusion and undermined the credibility of the event.
Ullrich is one of the biggest names in German cycling history
A crisis for the race’s reputation
For Zabel, who himself spent several seasons riding for Israel – Premier Tech earlier in his career, the damage has already been done: “The fact is, the Vuelta’s image has already suffered badly,” he said.
Ullrich, Germany’s only Tour de France winner, echoed that sentiment, warning that the credibility of the race has been compromised by what he sees as indecision from those in charge.
With the Spanish government itself weighing in – Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has said he supports expelling the team – the tension shows no sign of easing. The Vuelta continues under heavy security, but the debate over where sport ends and politics begins has rarely been as stark.
The bigger picture
Grand Tours have always been more than just sporting events: they are travelling theatres of culture, politics, and identity. The 2025 Vuelta a Espana has shown just how fragile that balance can be when global conflicts manifest themselves on the roadside.
For Ullrich and Zabel, the conclusion is clear. Unless organisers reassert control and provide clarity, the defining story of this Vuelta will not be Jonas Vingegaard’s watts, Remco Evenepoel’s resilience, or Juan Ayuso’s time trial splits, but rather the inability of race officials to prevent a political flashpoint from engulfing the race.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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