15 seconds rendered and the team press release
The action, carefully planned, led to a significant waste of time for the team, initially relegated to 54 seconds from the winner of the day, UAE Team Emirates XRG. Faced with the situation, the race commissioners decided, in agreement with the organization, to rectify the time ofIsrael-Premier Tech. The end time has been improved by 15 seconds, delaying 39 seconds from the winner.
In a press release published on its networks, the team reaffirmed “Respect freedom of expression and the right to demonstrate peacefully”while condemning “The dangerous acts that have jeopardized the safety of runners, racing staff and demonstrators themselves”. The runners had received for instructions not to express themselves directly in the media, in order to give way to a collective declaration.
? Propalestinian demonstrators, present on the course of the Vuelta team time trial, blocked the Israel-Prime Tech training runners on Wednesday pic.twitter.com/COBTyrqoGz
— Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) August 27, 2025
Organization, political parties … everyone gets involved
The director of The return, Javier Guillénwas firm after the incident: “We will file a complaint, we cannot allow what happened. When a protest is done with violence, it ceases to be a fair cause”. He also recalled that the participation ofIsrael-Premier Tech was not the fruit of an invitation from the organization, but the result of their status as a second best proteam in the UCI ranking, guaranteeing their presence on the test.
Beyond the race incident, the political tension around the team remains lively. In Spain, the party United Left recently asked the government to put pressure to exclude Israel-Premier Techinvoking respect for international law and the obligations of the Spanish State.
Sylvan Adams at the heart of the controversy … Other actions to be expected
For the time being, Israel-Premier Tech Continue to run, but protests against his presence seem to intensify. As a reminder, the team is not directly sponsored by the State of Israel, but has an agreement with it in order to make its “promotion”. The team owner, Sylvan Adamsis also a fervent support of Benjamin Netanyahu and claimed several times that the runners are “The Ambassadors of the Pays d'Israel”. Following this incident, he also said: “A violent attack during a sporting event is terrorism. Just like their heroes: Hamas. The incident could have ended very seriously, even fatally, because the runners had their heads leaning in the aerodynamic position and pedaling at 70 km/h. Fortunately, this time, the incident did not turn to the disaster. It was a odious act that any reasonable person should condemn. Haine individuals who threaten and commit acts of violence. “
If we would probably like it to be otherwise, it is good to remember that high -level sport, and therefore cycling, is political, and that certain states (not only Israel, but also the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain …) use it as a “soft power” tool. Regarding this Vueltathe first day on Spanish soil was marked by this incident. And it is to be feared that others will occur by the end of the event, in view of the magnitude that this case takes and the support of the majority of the Spanish population in Palestine.
