MADRID (AP) — Spanish Vuelta riders have voted to keep racing but did not rule out abandoning the Grand Tour event if pro-Palestinian protests continue to disrupt the competition.
Wednesday's 17th stage ended without any major incident after authorities limited the number of people who could reach the summit where the finish line was located. A couple of Palestinian flags were seen but no one tried to disrupt the race.
Riders had decided to keep going but will reconvene if another protest jeopardizes their safety in the final days of the three-week race that is scheduled to end Sunday in Madrid.
The international riders' association (CPA) said the vote had been requested by the riders and it involved representatives of the 23 teams racing in the Vuelta this year. The majority decided to keep competing, and those who voted against had accepted the decision. It did not give any details.
The vote came a day after organizers were forced to cut short a stage because of protesters who are demanding the withdrawal of an Israel-based team from the race. It was the second time a stage was cut short because of the protests.
There was a small protest by people with Palestinian flags at the start of Wednesday's 17th stage but it did not impact the race.
Giulio Pellizzari of team Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe broke away at the end of the tough final climb to win the stage.
Team Visma-Lease a Bike rider Jonas Vingegaard remained the overall leader, with Joao Almeida of UAE Team Emirates-XRG 50 seconds back in second.
Organizers had not ruled out cutting the 143-kilometer (89-mile) stage short again to protect riders’ safety. Not having too many fans up the hill near the finish line of the mid-mountain stage helped avoid further protests.
Thursday's stage 18 is an individual time trial in Valladolid, which could pose more problems for organizers.
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