Vuelta organization drums up hundreds of police officers to prevent potential time trial fiasco in Valladolid

The large-scale protests have been focused throughout the Vuelta on Israel-Premier Tech, a team that the angry demonstrators believe should not be allowed to participate in the race. The team itself has stated it will never yield to such external pressure, although by the end of the second week, the word “Israel” was removed from their jerseys. It had already been absent from the team bus and cars for several months.

So far in this Vuelta, it has mostly been the peloton that has suffered from the protest actions. Only during the team time trial on Stage 5 was Israel-Premier Tech directly impacted, when protesters stood in the road as the team passed by. The riders were forced to brake hard. The organizers later awarded the team a few seconds to compensate.

To prevent a repeat of earlier incidents during the upcoming time trial, the Vuelta organization is pulling out all the stops. L'Équipe reports that 300 officers from the national police, both in uniform and plainclothes, along with another 150 security personnel will be present on Stage 18 in Valladolid. The start and finish take place in the city, and the 27.2-kilometer course forms a controllable loop.

“We have indications that actions are being planned which go beyond simply placing or displaying flags along the route,” said Jacinto Canales from the city of Valladolid. According to him, radical groups are active in Valladolid and neighboring provinces. “There are ways to protest without disrupting the event or putting riders in danger,” Canales stated.