'We are just cyclists doing our job' – Vuelta a España riders blame pro-Palestine protests for causing crash, demonstration delays start of stage 11

Riders at the Vuelta a España have spoken out over protests at the race, after a crash seemed to have been caused by pro-Palestine activists on stage 10.

Protestors then disrupted the neutralised roll-out on stage 11 in Bilbao, after conversations were reported to be happening between team representatives, the riders' union and race organisers over safety issues.

On Tuesday, Intermarché-Wanty's Simone Petilli crashed after protestors ran onto the road, with police unable to hold them back. The accident was not shown on television, but was shared on social media, with most of the peloton dodging the protestors on the road, but Petilli being unfortunate.

Writing on X on Wednesday morning, Petilli asked for protests to not get in the way of riders and put them at risk.

"I understand that is not a good situation, but yesterday I crashed because of a Protest on the road," he wrote. "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."

Louis Vervaeke of Soudal Quick-Step echoed Petilli's request.

"We fully acknowledge that everyone has the right to protest. However, we kindly ask that this be done in a safe manner," he said on X. "Our focus here is on our sport, not on politics or any particular position in this matter. I respectfully urge you not to endanger either us or yourselves."

Adam Hansen, the president of the riders' union the CPA, expressed support for Petilli.

"We remind everyone that cyclists are not involved in political or social disputes — they are simply doing their job: racing," he wrote on X. "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."

It is the second incident involving pro-Palestine protestors affecting the race, after a group disrupted Israel-Premier Tech's team time trial on stage five. While Israel-Premier Tech has no official connection to the state of Israel, its owner, Sylvan Adams, has been vocal about his support for the country, of which he is a citizen.

Protests have been targeted at Israel-Premier Tech, who a Spanish left wing party called to be excluded from the race, but have also been a visible part of most stages of the Vuelta.

There were also disruptive actions at both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France this year.

According to the BBC, over 60,000 Palestinians, the majority civilians, have been killed in Israel's invasion of Gaza in response to the October 7 terrorist attacks, in which more than 1,200 people died.

On Wednesday, the commissioner general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa), Philippe Lazzarini, warned that Gaza is “becoming the graveyard of international humanitarian law”.

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez said this week that Europe's response to Gaza had been a "failure". "What we’re now witnessing in Gaza is perhaps one of the darkest episodes of international relations in the 21st century," he argued

The Vuelta's organisers did not comment on Tuesday's incident.