Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters attempted to block riders from the Israel-Premier Tech team at the fifth stage of the Vuelta a España on Wednesday, forcing them to slow down in a race determined by differences of seconds.
A number of people with banners and Palestinian flags tried to disrupt the Israeli team, owned by Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams, at the start of the fifth stage time-trial in Figueras, Catalonia.
The race is one of cycling’s three major Grand Tours, along with the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia.
The Israel-Premier Tech team was also targeted during the Tour de France.
On a video circulating on social media, three people can be seen holding a banner with the inscription “Neutrality is complicity. Boycott Israel” in Catalan, flanked by Palestinian flags, before being removed by race officials.
Although riders were forced to slow down, no accidents were reported. The team had been assigned police protection prior to the race, according to the Hebrew outlet Ynet.
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— Domestique (@Domestique___) August 27, 2025
In a statement, the team said it respected the right to peaceful protest but said the disruption endangered its riders. A statement from Adams, reported by Ynet, called the action an act of “terror.”
“Israel-Premier Tech respects everyone’s right to freedom of speech, which includes the right to protest peacefully, but we absolutely condemn the dangerous acts of the protesters on stage 5 of the Vuelta a España, which not only compromised the safety of our riders, race personnel, but the protesters themselves,” the team said in its statement. “The team continues to work with race organizers and relevant authorities to ensure our safety at the Vuelta a España and all races, and ensure any protests do not impact our safety, nor our right to race.”
Adams has worked to promote cycling in Israel, including by creating the first indoor velodrome in the Middle East in Tel Aviv, and by bringing the opening of the Giro d’Italia to Israel in 2018.
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