Tension is mounting at the Vuelta a España amid protests over Israel–Premier Tech’s presence in the race. The riders' union, the Cyclistes Professionels Associés (CPA), has met with race organisers to discuss how to approach the issue, and individual riders have called for calm and greater safety.
Demonstrators have lined the roads waving Palestine flags at the race, and last week saw protestors disrupt Israel–Premier Tech’s individual time trial.
Now the protests against the team, which is co-owned by Canadian–Israeli businessman Sylvan Adams, who is a vocal supporter of Israel, have affected other riders.
Intermarché–Wanty’s Simone Petilli crashed on yesterday’s stage 10 to Belagua after three protesters with Palestinian flags entered the course and the peloton tried to avoid them.
🇵🇸| La Vuelta Euskal Herrian barrena dabil gaur eta bihar, @IsraelPremTech talde sionistaren presentziaren aurkako protesten erdian. Begira zer gertatu den Irunberrin.
GENOZIDAK EZ DIRA ONGI ETORRIAK EUSKAL HERRIAN! #LaVuelta25 #StopGazaGenocideNOW pic.twitter.com/rimAvHPRTo
— Malcolm iXa 🍉 (@ideiazabaldub) September 2, 2025
Petilli, who fell but finished the stage, wrote on X: “I understand that is not a good situation, but yesterday I crashed because of a Protest on the road.”
“Please, we are just Cyclists and we are doing our Job, but if it will continue like this our safety is not guaranteed anymore, and we feel in danger! We just want to race! Please,” he added.
Adam Hansen, the president of the CPA, said on X: “We remind everyone that cyclists are not involved in political or social disputes — they are simply doing their job: racing. Their safety must never be put at risk.
“While we respect the right to peaceful protest, actions that endanger athletes cannot be accepted. Rider safety must remain the highest priority.
“The CPA stands firmly with the riders: they just want to race in safe conditions.”
Soudal–QuickStep’s Louis Vervaeke also took to X, asking protesters not to endanger riders or themselves. “We fully acknowledge that everyone has the right to protest. However, we kindly ask that this be done in a safe manner. Our focus here is on our sport, not on politics or any particular position in this matter,” said Vervaeke.
Before the start of stage 11 in Bilbao, there were meetings between the CPA and the race organisers, and several teams have registered their interest for Israel–Premier Tech to withdraw from the race, according to journalist Daniel Friebe.
The peloton was stopped in the neutral zone of stage 11 when pro-Palestine protesters blocked the road.
Elia Viviani, a representative of the CPA at the race, told Friebe that: “riders said to commissaires/race organisation they would ride as long as protests are peaceful. If race gets stopped, riders will reassess.”
Friebe added: “Viviani also said CPA wouldn‘t demand Israel-Premier Tech riders pull out. ‘We wouldn’t go against our colleagues'.”
Friebe also said on X that riders want the UCI to intervene. “They feel exposed on an issue that’s beyond their knowledge/expertise/desire to expose private position,” he wrote on X.
Basque political party EH Bildu called for Israel–Premier Tech’s withdrawal from the Vuelta.
“Israel is not welcome in the Basque Country and we urge the withdrawal of the Israel-Premier Tech cycling team from La Vuelta 2025,” the party said in a statement, according to the Domestique. “We do not want a team that represents a genocidal state in our country. It is unacceptable that sport be used to whitewash genocide.”
Spanish political party Izquierda Unida also asked the government to propose to the Vuelta organisers that Israel–Premier Tech be excluded from the race.
The protests at the Vuelta follow demonstrations at the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia. An activist from Extinction Rebellion was arrested at the Tour de France after running onto the final straight on stage 11 wearing a T-shirt that read 'Israel out of the Tour' while waving a keffiyeh scarf.
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement called for peaceful protests in April at this year’s Grand Tours against the participation of Israel–Premier Tech.
The BDS Movement said: “As Israel escalates its ongoing genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza and its violent military occupation of the West Bank, international sporting bodies have a moral obligation to take all measures to prevent genocide, or risk being held criminally liable.”
Two former Israel–Premier Tech riders have commented on no longer riding for the team in light of Israel’s war on Gaza. Alessandro de Marchi said he was “relieved” not to be cycling for them anymore and Jakob Fuglsang said that since retirement it has been “nicer to ride without an Israel logo than with it”.
Derek Gee also terminated his Israel–Premier Tech contract last month, stating that “certain issues simply made my continuation at the team untenable”.
Israel–Premier Tech has been contacted for comment.
