Egan Bernal claims victory on Vuelta a España stage 16 cut short by protests

There was no triumphant welcome for Egan Bernal's first Grand Tour stage victory since his almost career-ending crash in early 2022. Instead, only a handful of fans and security guards were there to watch the Ineos Grenadiers rider win on day 16 of the Vuelta a España, which finished beneath the 8km-to-go banner.

The decision was made to curtail the stage mid-race due to protests at the summit of the final climb. As has become a common sight at this year's Vuelta, pro-Palestine protestors lined the final 3km of the route, which was scheduled to finish atop the Castro de Herville in Galicia.

News of the stage's shortening was shared with the riders around 10 minutes before they reached the new finish line. Times in the general classification were also taken at the same point, with no changes ultimately impacting the top three.

Bernal's victory came after he outsprinted his fellow breakaway remnant Mikel Landa (Soudal-Quick Step) on a short drag. The win, though understated among the Galician hills, marked the Colombian's first at international level since a horror crash left him in intensive care at the start of 2022.

Then training in Colombia, Bernal suffered multiple fractures and a punctured lung after colliding with a bus. He later said doctors told him he had a 95% chance of being paralysed for life, but returned to racing eight months later.

Having stopped short of the finish line gantry, there was no TV interview broadcast with Bernal after the stage.

Photos shared on Getty Images showed hundreds of protestors waving Palestine flags in Castro de Herville, where they faced Spanish law enforcement officers from the Guardia Civil.

It is the second time this Vuelta a stage has been cut short due to the protests; on day 11 in Bilbao, the stage was stopped 3km from the finish, and no winner was awarded.

Activists have been calling for the withdrawal of Israel-Premier Tech from the race. The team has no official links to the Israeli government – which has carried out deadly attacks on the Palestinian people in Gaza – although it's co-owner Sylvan Adams has called himself a "self-appointed ambassador-at large for Israel".

A spokesperson from Israel-Premier Tech said the team is "committed to racing on" at the Vuelta. In response to the protests, the team removed the word 'Israel' from their kit ahead of stage 14.

Following Tuesday's stage 16, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) continues to lead the race by 48 seconds ahead of João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).

According to L'Équipe, the organisers have sought out extra security measures for stage 18's time trial on Thursday, where 300 officers, in uniform and plain clothes, and 150 security guards will be deployed in Valladolid.

Results

Vuelta a España 2025 stage 16: Poio > Castro de Herville (159.9km)

1. Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers, in 03:35:10
2. Mikel Landa (Esp) Soudal Quick-Step, at same time
3. Brieuc Rolland (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, +7s
4. Nico Denz (Ger) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +1:02
5. Clement Braz Afonso (Fra) Groupama-FD, +2s
6. Bob Jungels (Lux) Ineos Grenadiers, +1:10
7. Kevin Vermaerke (USA) Picnic PostNL, +1:12
8. Finlay Pickering (Gbr) Bahrain-Victorious, +1:12
9. Sean Quinn (USA) EF Education-EasyPost, +2:28
10. Rudy Molard (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, +2:48

General classification after stage 16

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma-Lease a Bike, in 61:16:35
2. João Almeida (Por) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +48s
3. Tom Pidcock (GBr) Q36.5 Pro Cycling, +2:38
4. Jai Hindley (Aus) Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, +3:10
5. Giulio Pellizzari (Ita) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +4:21
6. Felix Gall (Aut) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, +4:24
7. Matthew Riccitello (USA) Israel-Premier Tech, +4:53
8. Sepp Kuss (USA) Visma-Lease a Bike, +5:46
9. Torstein Træen (Nor) Bahrain Victorious, +6:33
10. Junior Lecerf (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step, +8:04