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Egan Bernal, the victor of the 2019 Tour de France and the 2021 Giro d’Italia, added another achievement to his palmarès.
Colombia’s Egan Bernal seized victory in stage 16 of the Vuelta a Espana, a stage that was truncated by eight kilometres due to pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
These demonstrations, primarily targeting the Israel-Premier Tech team, have caused disruptions across several stages of this year’s competition, including stage 11, which was shortened without a stage winner last week.
On Tuesday, race officials made the decision to determine the stage winner and record times earlier than anticipated, citing “a big protest at three km before the finish line.”
The original route for the stage was a 168km stretch from Poio to Castro de Herville before the alteration.
During Sunday’s stage 15, a protestor precipitated a minor collision involving Spain’s Javier Romo. Romo subsequently withdrew from this year’s race on Tuesday, citing that he was “not feeling very well, mentally or physically.”
The 26-year-old Movistar rider sustained what were initially described as “only bruises” during the incident and completed Sunday’s stage, but ultimately retired with 80km remaining in stage 16.
The team time trial in stage five also faced disruption when the Israel-Premier Tech team, owned by Israeli-Canadian businessman Sylvan Adams, were halted on the road by a group of demonstrators brandishing Palestinian flags.
Bernal, representing Ineos Grenadiers, secured the stage 16 victory in a time of three hours, 35 minutes, and 10 seconds, outpacing Spanish cyclist Mikel Landa.
France’s Brieuc Rolland claimed third place, while British rider Finlay Pickering, aged 22, finished eighth.
Two-time Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard continues to lead the general classification, with Joao Almeida trailing by 48 seconds and Great Britain’s Tom Pidcock in third.
The race continues Friday with another medium mountain stage spanning 143km from O Barco de Valdeorras to Ponferrada.
The backdrop to these protests is the ongoing conflict in Gaza, initiated by the Israeli military in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities and 251 hostages.
According to the territory’s health ministry, the conflict has resulted in at least 64,605 deaths in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then.
Stage 16 was shortened after a ‘big protest’ before the finish line
1. Egan Bernal (Col/Ineos Grenadiers) 3hrs 35mins 10secs
2. Mikel Landa (Spa/Soudal Quick-Step) same time
3. Brieuc Rolland (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) +7secs
4. Nico Denz (Ger/Red Bull – Bora-hansgrohe) +1min 2secs
5. Clement Braz Afonso (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) same time
6. Bob Jungels (Lux/Ineos Grenadiers) +1min 10secs
7. Kevin Vermaerke (USA/Picnic-PostNL) +1min 12secs
8. Finlay Pickering (GB/Bahrain Victorious) same time
9. Sean Quinn (USA/EF Education–EasyPost) +2mins 48secs
10. Rudy Molard (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) same time
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) 61hrs 16mins 35secs
2. Joao Almeida (Por/UAE Team Emirates) +48secs
3. Tom Pidcock (GB/Q36.5 Pro Cycling) +2mins 38secs
4. Jai Hindley (Aus/Red Bull – Bora-hansgrohe) +3mins 10 secs
5. Giulio Pellizzari (Ita/Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) +4mins 21secs
6. Felix Gall (Aut/Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +4mins 24secs
7. Matthew Riccitello (USA/Israel-Premier Tech) +4mins 53secs
8. Sepp Kuss (USA/Visma-Lease a Bike) +5mins 46secs
9. Torstein Traeen (Nor/Bahrain Victorious) +6mins 33secs
10. Junior Lecerf (Bel/Soudal Quick-Step) +8mins 4secs
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