Jonas Vingegaard won the Vuelta, but it wasn't a triumph. © ANSA / Javier Lizon

Vuelta ends with abandonment: Vingegaard triumphs

Instead of crossing the finish line in Madrid in celebration, Jonas Vingegaard could only high-five his teammates at the team car for his first overall victory after the final Vuelta stage was canceled.

September 14, 2025

From: dpa

Pro-Palestinian protesters at the Tour of Spain caused chaos on the streets of the Spanish capital and forced the race to be ended prematurely. "Due to the protests in Madrid, the race was ended earlier than planned, and there will be no awards ceremony," the organizers announced.

Eight kilometers from the finish, demonstrators broke through the barriers and occupied the entire road. Clashes broke out with the police, who were deployed with 1.500 officers. A safe finish was thus impossible. The protests against Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip had already impacted the three-week tour several times.

The podium with Joao Almeida, Jonas Vingegaard, and Tom Pidcock. © ANSA / Javier Lizon

A group of people also stood on the road with a banner around 56 kilometers from the finish, causing the peloton to stop. Some riders attempted to circumvent the group. One rider was held back by a protester. The peloton initially continued on briefly before the race was called off after deliberations.

Protests repeatedly disrupted the race

Vingegaard's sporting triumph ultimately faded into the background. These weren't the first incidents of this kind at the tour. First, the jury abandoned the eleventh stage of the Vuelta shortly before the finish, saying that demonstrators in the finish area had threatened the riders' safety. Several stages were shortened, and there were repeated protests. The sports director of the Israel-Premier Tech racing team reported death threats against his team.

Protests led to the cancellation of the final stage. © APA/afp / PAUL HANNA

Canadian-Israeli team owner Sylvan Adams described what allegedly happened behind the scenes. He claimed that the head of the Vuelta organizer, Unipublic, asked him to withdraw the Israeli team from the race. "But I told him I wouldn't do that," Adams said. "If we give up, it's not just the end of our team, but of all the other teams as well." Then, he added, someone would "demonstrate against teams from Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, or against Astana."

Vingegaard had taken the final tough test on the road to his coveted triumph the previous day with flying colors. Wearing the red jersey of the overall leader, the Danish cycling star delivered a champion-like performance in front of an impressive crowd – on the steep climbs up to the 2.251-meter-high Bola del Mondo, he once again outpaced his opponents and secured his third stage victory of this Vuelta.

“I always dreamed of winning the Vuelta.” jonas vingegaard

"It's one of the biggest races in the world, and I've always dreamed of winning it. The fact that I've done it and won is a dream come true for me," Vingegaard said before the final stage. At the start of the final stage, he posed with his teammates in the saddle and clinked glasses before being denied the chance to celebrate. The two-time Tour de France winner from Denmark had to admit defeat to dominant rider Tadej Pogacar in France this year and last year. Pogacar was absent from the Vuelta – and Vingegaard took full advantage.

Vingegaard not in top form

The Visma team captain has had tough years behind him and has had to battle back repeatedly after serious crashes. Vingegaard's worst blow came in the spring of 2024 in the Basque Country, when he suffered a broken collarbone, several broken ribs, a contused lung, and a pneumothorax. "Coming back like this from everything I've been through over the past few years is very nice," said Vingegaard, who fell more than four minutes behind Pogacar in this year's Tour.

The peloton did not enter Madrid. © ANSA / Javier Lizon

The Dane wasn't at his limit in Spain either, as sporting director Grischa Niermann noted. "That wasn't his best level, but it was still enough to be the best rider in this Vuelta. He truly deserves it. We're absolutely delighted," Niermann told Eurosport. The grand ceremony was canceled on Sunday evening.