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Slovenian 20-year-old Jakob Omrzel climbed to victory on stage 12 of the Vuelta a Espana on Thursday as Spain's Enric Mas extended his overall lead on a tough mountain stage.In a landmark performance, Omrzel, of the Bahrain Victorious team, also leapt up the overall standings, evoking memories of his countryman Tadej Pogacar's showing in his first Grand Tour in 2019. Omrzel jumped to sixth overall, just 30sec behind Briton Oscar Onley in the best young rider white jersey category. Onley fell early in the stage and finished over five minutes adrift of the winner."I can't believe what I did, but I felt super good. I'm still feeling okay. I'm not tired. So I'm just enjoying it at the moment," Omrzel said. Three major mountain stages remain in an enthralling 21-day race.Pogacar was six months older than Omrzel when he came third and won three stages in the 2019 edition of the Vuelta.Movistar rider Mas finished 2min 56sec adrift of the winner but extended his olead over Primoz Roglic by 27 seconds to 1 minute and 45 seconds. Four-time champion Roglic, another Slovenian, crossed the line with Felix Gall, who is third overall.Mas had several Movistar team members around him over the early climbs. "We did two training camps here, and I enjoyed it today more than in winter. It's 27 seconds, and that could be very important in the final week. It was a long day, but I'm happy with what we achieved here," said the 31-year-old.The Vuelta returned to the mountains on stage 12 with a run of 166km that was contested in searing heat over five climbs to Calar Alto. Mas has won the Vuelta white jersey twice, in 2018 and 2020, and is set for his first Grand Tour win if he can hold on.Pogacar was leading the Vuelta by almost four minutes but crashed out on stage eight, breaking a collarbone in what may be a season-ending injury. The race ends in Andalusia next weekend with stages in the mountains and hills around Malaga and Granada's Sierra Nevada.

Briton Matthew Brennan prevailed in a chaotic sprint for the finish line in stage 11 of the Vuelta a Espana on Wednesday, as the 21-year-old Visma-Lease a Bike rider claimed his third stage win in his maiden Grand Tour.Brennan, who also won the second and fourth stages, beat Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) and Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) in a photo finish in Lorca.Red jersey holder Enric Mas (Movistar) retained his overall lead, remaining a minute and 18 seconds ahead of four-times winner Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) as nearly the entire peloton crossed the finish line together after the 153.8-km ride from Cartagena.Points classification leader Wout van Aert expertly led teammate Brennan to the front after the final turn and he overtook Coquard and crossed the finish line with his hand raised in victory."We took the initiative again today... it was fantastic work in the last 10 km to keep us in the right place," said Brennan, who won Britain's National Under-23 Championships last year. 'A TEAM FULL OF MASSIVE CHAMPIONS'"I'm with a team full of massive champions... I'm thankful that they go full gas for me."UAE Team Emirates-XRG, whose leader Tadej Pogacar withdrew from the race after a crash in stage eight, could have lost another rider when Kevin Vermaerke went down in a crash with Hamish McKenzie (Jayco AlUla).American Vermaerke got back up, however, and carried on as the peloton shut down all the early attacks, reaching speeds of nearly 46 km per hour going into the last 10 kilometres of the mostly flat stage.The peloton was together amid a frantic battle to stay ahead in the final kilometre, but the Visma-Lease a Bike riders successfully collaborated to set up Brennan's dash to the finish line.The race returns to the mountains on Thursday with a 166.6-km ride from Vera to Calar Alto. 

Spain's Enric Mas made a late attack on the climb to Alto de Aitana to win stage nine of the Vuelta a Espana on Sunday, as the Movistar rider retained his overall lead and the red jersey. Mas, who took the lead after Tadej Pogacar crashed out on Saturday, lived up to the red jersey as he won his first Grand Tour stage since 2018, preserving his energy throughout the mountainous ride and flawlessly executing the final attack.Briton Oscar Onley (Netcompany Ineos) followed Mas into the final kilometre but lost the sprint to the finish line and had to settle for second place. Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), who is second in the overall standings, came in third. Four-time Vuelta winner Roglic trails Mas by a minute and 18 seconds in the general classification. Felix Gall, who finished fourth on the day, remained third overall. LEADERS IGNORE EARLY MOVESHours before the ninth stage began, Roglic's compatriot Pogacar posted a picture of himself in a hospital bed on Instagram, set to the 1977 song "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees. Mas, wearing the red jersey for the first time, stayed in the peloton along with his closest general classification competitors as they ignored early attacks.By the time the riders started the climactic 22 km climb to Alto de Aitana, several breakaway riders had split into groups, with Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Pavel Sivakov and Marcel Camprubi (Pinarello-Q36.5) leading the charge four minutes ahead of the peloton. Sivakov, who finished ninth in 2024, pushed ahead with 10 km remaining, as Camprubi scrambled to follow the Frenchman.MAS ATTACKSHalfway up the climb, about 20 riders including Mas and other red jersey contenders were rapidly reducing the gap to the runaway leader, with Gall's Decathlon CMA CGM teammate Gregor Muehlberger setting the pace.With just a minute between them and Sivakov, Gall attacked and others including Mas and Roglic followed. They caught Sivakov and effortlessly moved past him as Santiago Buitrago launched an attack with about four kilometres left in the stage.Soon after, Mas launched his own attack as Oscar Onley kept up with him, while Roglic followed them into the final kilometre. Mas, who had refused to celebrate or wear the red jersey on Saturday after Pogacar's crash, finally celebrated as he crossed the finish line, raising his arm to cheering spectators, with Onley just behind him. The race continues on Tuesday with a hilly 184.7 km ride from Alcaraz to Elche de la Sierra. 

Tadej Pogacar outsprinted Enric Mas to claim Vuelta a Espana stage six victory on Thursday, his third stage win of the race. The Slovenian superstar and Mas outshone their rivals on the gravel in the stage's final climb, and Pogacar held off the Spaniard when arriving in Castellon de la Plana to extend his general classification lead.Five-time Tour de France winner Pogacar, the overwhelming favourite for the Vuelta, is aiming to complete a Grand Tour grand slam having also won the Giro d'Italia in 2024. Ramses Debruyne grabbed the third spot on the podium, finishing in a group including Primoz Roglic, Richard Carapaz and Felix Gall, 46 seconds behind the leaders.UAE Team Emirates XRG's Pogacar, who had a brief scare as he came off the road on the final descent, now leads Movistar's Mas by 3min 34sec and compatriot Roglic by 4min 21sec overall. Mas overtook Pogacar on the summit of the last climb, which came out of the blue for the Slovenian."I was really surprised on the top, he flew past by me like a rocket," said Pogacar. "I was just happy to be with him in the last 10 kilometres into the headwind because I had no water, it was nice to have a compatriot next to me."Then in the end, I knew that I can beat him in the sprint, but I still appreciated that he committed full and I also committed full to the finish line. So chapeau to him, it was a great race." There was a big battle to get into the break on the 177.5 kilometre ride from Alcossebre but it took a long time for an escape to form.Finally, 15 riders moved clear and established a two-and-a-half minute gap on the peloton with 40km remaining. The break split up on the final climb of Puerto El Bartolo, which peeled onto a gravel road, where Pogacar attacked and picked off the riders ahead of him. Pogacar scareMas was hot on his tail and the Spaniard dug deep to charge past Pogacar and head over the top of the climb ahead. Pogacar came off the road and into a grassy section after misjudging a corner, but he swiftly recovered to get back on Mas's trail."He simply went off the track, and when I turned around, he was already on my wheel," said Mas. Four-time Vuelta winner Roglic, Gall and Debruyne were chasing the front two, but Pogacar and Mas worked well together to keep their advantage.Pogacar lead out towards the finish line but and Mas simply did not have the kick to come around him. "Pogi is Pogi, and we have to take it one day at a time - I'm second overall, I'm feeling good," said Mas. It was a bad day for Oscar Onley, who lost over a minute-and-a-half on his general classification rivals.Earlier in the day, Netcompany Ineos rider Josh Tarling abandoned the race with around 120km of the stage left, with his team not giving a reason. The Briton's brother Finlay Tarling died in the Tour of Portugal after a crash with a vehicle, but Josh decided to race in Spain in honour of his sibling. "Josh Tarling's brave La Vuelta has come to an end and he's decided to stop. We couldn't be prouder," said Netcompany Ineos on social media. Tarling produced a strong display in the first stage individual time trial, coming third behind Pogacar and Ethan Hayter. On Friday, riders travel 149.8km from Vall D'Alba to the race's second summit finale at Aramon Valdelinares. 

Cycling superstar Tadej Pogacar crushed his Vuelta a Espana rivals to clinch a sensational solo stage four victory on Tuesday and open up a commanding general classification lead. The Slovenian, aiming to complete a Grand Tour grand slam, attacked with just over 50 kilometres remaining in Andorra's mountains, and crossed the finish line with the chasing pack languishing.Jarno Widar and Felix Gall completed the day's podium in second and third respectively, both coming in 2min 39sec behind Pogacar as they beat out four other riders in a sprint to the line. "It's super good because now I can be calm and confident for the next days," said Pogacar."We just keep going day by day and focus on each day after this, because it will be a little bit less stressful for sure." Already wearing the red jersey after winning the individual time trial on the first stage, UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider Pogacar's bid to carve out a significant lead was foiled on Monday by inclement weather.Riders had to take shelter from a dangerous hailstorm in a roadside hotel in the Pyrenees and the third stage was abandoned. So it was a day later than planned that five-time Tour de France winner Pogacar, hoping to become only the fourth rider to claim a Tour-Vuelta double in the same season, took full control.Racing resumed on Tuesday with a short but tricky 104.8km course in the mountains with four categorised climbs. Decathlon led onto the day's second climb, Collada de Beixalis, but Pogacar decided that was his moment to shine. The 27-year-old, competing in the Vuelta for the first time since 2019, powered ahead, with Gall attempting to follow him.Pogacar dropped the Austrian, who fell back to the chase group, and flew on ahead, creating a two minute gap. "(I didn't) want to be also isolated against all the GC riders because they would all play against me - I tried with an attack on the climb and I just hoped that I could survive until the finish line," explained Pogacar. "I saw that I could open the gap and I did it and it was pretty tough but a beautiful day out there." 'Beautiful memories'The chase group expanded to nine riders, including Oscar Onley and Primoz Roglic, but Pogacar was three minutes ahead up the road at that point. The unstoppable Slovenian pumped his fists then raised his arms aloft as he crossed the finish line. Pogacar won his first stage at a Grand Tour in Andorra in 2019 at La Vuelta."I have such beautiful memories from the first time in Andorra," added Pogacar. "It was really beautiful and it's one of my favorite moments of the career so I will never forget that day." Widar and Gall edged out four-time Vuelta winner Roglic, Onley, Enric Mas and Sepp Kuss in a sprint to the line, after they had dropped Richard Carapaz and Mattias Skjelmose in the final stages. Wednesday's stage five takes place in Spain, running 173.3km from Falset - south-west of Barcelona - to Roquetes, and offers the chance for a sprint finish. 

Tadej Pogacar stormed to victory in the individual time trial to claim the leader's red jersey after the first stage of the Vuelta a Espana on Saturday. The Slovenian, aiming to complete a career Grand Tour treble at the Vuelta, where he is the overwhelming favourite, completed the 9.4-kilometre ride a fraction of a second faster than Briton Ethan Hayter. Joshua Tarling finished third, four seconds behind the top two, to complete the podium a week after his younger brother Finlay Tarling died in a road accident while racing in the Tour of Portugal. UAE Team Emirates rider Pogacar clocked 10min 57sec for the short and technical course through the streets of Monaco, his home city, in the opening stage of the 81st edition of the Vuelta. He was 0.09sec faster than Soudal-Quick-Step's Hayter. "It's a weird feeling to win the time trial on the first stage and by such a small margin," said Pogacar. "I was not expecting it. I'm really happy. This red is a really nice colour." He said home advantage was the key to his victory. "That 0.09 happened when I passed my apartment because that was the most technical part, and I walk and cycle there every day," said the Slovenian. Pogacar, who won the Tour de France for the fifth time earlier this summer and claimed the Giro d'Italia in 2024, is widely expected to finish in the red jersey too, in Granada on September 13.He is competing in the Spanish Grand Tour for the first time since his only prior entry, 2019, when he finished third. A Vuelta victory would make the Slovenian only the fourth rider to complete a historic Tour-Vuelta double in the same season, while only eight riders have won all three Grand Tours in their career. Pogacar's compatriot Primoz Roglic is chasing a record-equalling fifth Vuelta victory but came in 24th. Tarling had been among the leading contenders for the opening stage, on a route designed to favour specialists, and moved into the lead before Hayter and then Pogacar usurped him. Hayter has never won a Grand Tour stage and came incredibly close to doing so before Pogacar stole in to take the glory. The race continues Sunday with a marathon 214.3km stage from Monaco to Manosque in France. 

Five -time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar is the overwhelming favourite to win the Vuelta a Espana, which starts on Saturday in Monaco for the first time in its history.The Slovenian, who claimed a fifth Tour de France title in July, is chasing the only Grand Tour still missing from his personal trophy cabinet, having won the Giro d'Italia in 2024. A Vuelta victory would also make him only the fourth rider to complete a historic Tour-Vuelta double in the same season.Pogacar is the rider to beat over 21 stages and 3,275 kilometres before the race finishes in Granada on September 13. The 27-year-old could become just the ninth rider to complete the Grand Tour career treble. He has not raced in the Spanish Grand Tour since his Vuelta debut in 2019, when he finished third overall and won three stages."He is not coming to race the Vuelta, he is coming to win it," Vuelta director Javier Guillen told Spanish radio station Cadena SER. Pogacar appears a cut above his rivals, but in the absence of injured defending champion Jonas Vingegaard, he will face a strong field including compatriot Primoz Roglic, a four-time Vuelta winner seeking a record fifth title. Roglic's participation was only confirmed recently after a crash in July disrupted his preparations.  Other contenders include Spanish hope Enric Mas, who will lead Movistar, Ecuador's Richard Carapaz, Briton Oscar Onley and Austria's Felix Gall, while American Sepp Kuss won the race in 2023 but is not at his best and may look to hunt stage wins in the mountains. Portugal's Joao Almeida, Pogacar's UAE Emirates-XRG teammate, is another major contender for the general classification and could provide an important tactical factor in the battle for the red jersey.Belgian Wout van Aert and Dane Mads Pedersen will target stage victories and the points classification. However if Pogacar arrives in top form, it is hard to imagine anyone denying him the final Grand Tour still missing from his ever-growing collection. "Pogacar only knows how to put on a show," added Guillen, and the mountainous route designed by the organisers should give the Slovenian plenty of opportunities to do so. Gruelling routeAfter the opening two stages start in Pogacar's home city of Monaco - including a nine kilometre individual time trial on the first day - the third stage heads into France from Gruissan to Font-Romeu before the race enters Andorra and then continues through Spain towards the sweltering south.The route is particularly arduous, with six high-mountain stages, seven summit finishes and around 58,000 metres of climbing, making it one of the toughest editions in the race's history. The serious action begins as early as the third stage, before the first major mountain test in Andorra the following day.The race will then visit iconic Vuelta climbs including Valdelinares, Calar Alto, La Pandera and the Alto de Aitana. A short gravel section on stage six near Castellon will provide an unusual additional challenge, potentially creating time gaps among the overall contenders.The queen stage comes on the eve of the finish, with more than 5,000 metres of climbing on the 187-kilometre route to the summit of the Collado del Alguacil. The final climb is 8.3 kilometres long at an average gradient of 9.8 percent. Opportunities for sprinters will be limited, while the general classification contenders and time trial specialists will have two chances against the clock - the opening 9.4-kilometre test in Monaco and a 32-kilometre time trial through the vineyards of Cadiz on stage 18.The race will conclude in Granada on September 13, with the final stage featuring an urban circuit and a finish beneath the Alhambra palace, replacing the traditional Madrid finale. Organisers are hoping sport and spectacle will define this year's race after protests against Israel-Premier Tech heavily disrupted the 2025 edition.That team's structure has since been rebranded as the NSN Cycling Team, under a Swiss licence and backed by Never Say Never, the sports and entertainment company co-founded by former Spain and Barcelona footballer Andres Iniesta. 

Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard won the 2026 Giro d'Italia on Sunday to clinch ​his fourth Grand Tour title, ‌having also won the Tour de France twice before his triumph ‌at the Vuelta ⁠a Espana last ‌year. The Visma-Lease a Bike rider, competing ‌at the Giro for the first time, effectively secured the pink jersey on Saturday ⁠when he launched a decisive attack during the climb to Piancavallo on stage 20, extending his overall lead to more than five minutes ahead of second-placed Felix Gall. Frenchman Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-step), who won three stages, prevailed in the points classification. The final stage in Rome concluded with a sprint as Italian Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) thrilled his home crowd with a spectacular attack to win the stage. Vingegaard, 29, finished ​the race soon after, surrounded by his teammates, as he became the eighth man to win all three Grand Tours, and the first from Denmark."It's amazing. It's something I dreamed of ‌my whole life," an emotional ⁠Vingegaard said. "It's a special ​day for me... I am lost for words." **media[452491]**The race, a 3,459-km ​journey that started in Nessebar, Bulgaria, on May 8, ended with a 131-km final stage in Rome, including eight laps of a 9.5-km circuit. Vingegaard and his teammates celebrated as they began the final stage in Rome, posing for pictures, distributing sweets among race staff and ceremonially riding in the front along with local favourite Giulio Ciccone of Lidl-Trek, who won the mountains classification. Afonso Eulalio, in the white jersey for the best young rider of the race, also celebrated with his Bahrain Victorious teammates, as the Portuguese 24-year-old finished sixth after ‌holding the overall lead for nine ‌stages until Vingegaard overtook him in ⁠the 14th stage. MILAN WINS IN ROME As the peloton entered the circuit, early attacks from ⁠Nico Denz, Remy Rochas and ⁠Tobias Bayer proved to be ineffective as the peloton remained just over 10 seconds behind them. Going into the final lap, it was two Italians, Filippo Ganna and Matteo Sobrero, charging down the front with Belgian Jasper Stuyven close behind, with a 19-second lead over the peloton. But with three kilometres left, Lukas Kubis led the way as the ​peloton caught up with the breakaway group. Then, in the final kilometre, Milan scampered to the front to clinch his only stage win of the race. Vingegaard, who had to celebrate his Vuelta a Espana win in a car park after the final stage was cut short by anti-Israel protests, was met by his family at the finish. "It gives me tears in my eyes. They are always there for me," Vingegaard said, as his voice broke. Vingegaard, who has earned five straight top-two finishes in ‌the Tour de France, ​will challenge for his third title in the race when it begins on July 4. 

Sepp Kuss and Dane Jonas Vingegaard of ‌Team Visma-Lease a Bike dominated the high mountains on Friday as ​the American claimed a ‌historic solo victory on stage 19 of the Giro d'Italia and ‌his teammate firmly ⁠defended his overall ‌lead.By winning the brutal mountain stage, ‌Kuss became the 116th rider in cycling history to complete the Grand Tour ⁠stage victory trilogy, adding the Italian success to previous wins at the Tour de France in 2021 and Vuelta a Espana in 2019 and 2023."To be honest, it's something I always dreamt of, but every year it's getting harder and harder. I keep progressing, but so does everyone else, so every year that goes by, I think it's going to be even harder ​to win a stage in the Giro to complete all three, but I just can't believe it," Kuss said after the race.The monstrous 151-km stage through the Dolomites packed a ‌brutal 5,000 metres of altitude ⁠gain into a ​relentless rollercoaster of high-altitude climbs and technical descents, before finishing in ​the Veneto village of Alleghe.Italian Lidl-Trek rider Giulio Ciccone seized his chance on the final long descent, breaking free from the chasing group to establish a one-minute lead with 10-km remaining.However, Kuss launched a relentless pursuit as soon as the final uphill climb commenced, catching and passing Ciccone with just over two km left before riding clear.Kuss crossed the finish line alone ahead of thousands of cheering fans to secure the victory 13 seconds ahead of Canadian Derek Gee-West of Lidl-Trek. Ciccone held off the rest ‌of the chasing pack to take ‌third place, 36 seconds behind ⁠Kuss."By the bottom of the climb, there was a gap of one minute, ⁠so I thought, 'Oh, it's over'," ⁠Kuss said of Ciccone's push. "To be honest, I was a bit demotivated because I thought it was over, but I just tried to focus on doing the fastest climb possible. A nice win for me."Austrian Felix Gall of the Decathlon team took fourth place, 39 seconds behind Kuss, just ahead of Vingegaard who crossed the ​line with the same time in fifth.The result leaves Vingegaard with a commanding overall lead of four minutes and three seconds over Gall in the general classification.Earlier on Friday, UAE Team Emirates rider Jhonatan Narvaez was forced to abandon the race due to complications from a minor incident the previous day.The team said the Ecuadorean had a small crash on Thursday during the post-stage transfer back to the team bus and the resulting discomfort was too severe to manage on ‌Friday.Narvaez leaves this ​year's edition of the Italian Grand Tour with three stage victories. 

Cycling was licking its wounds Tuesday and wondering 'where next?' after a chaotic final day of the Vuelta a Espana which saw the concluding stage called off 50 kilometres shy of the capital and the winner crowned in a hotel car park.The three-week stage race, one of the three Grand Tours at the pinnacle of the sport, was repeatedly disrupted by pro-Palestinian demonstrators fired up by the presence in the race of the Israel Premier Tech team.A government spokesman told AFP that 100,000 people had taken part in the final-stage protests, which followed other pro-Palestinian protests during the race.The stage was stopped early. The winner Jonas Vingegaard had to make do with an improvised podium.For the International Cycling Union (UCI), the sport's governing body, and race organisers, the activists highlighted the vulnerability of races, which stretch across long distance and take place on public roads with free access for spectators.Some fear for future races, notably the 2026 Tour de France which begins with three stages on Spanish soil, starting in Barcelona."Let's hope that the conflict in Gaza is resolved by the time the Tour de France comes around," said Vuelta director Javier Guillen on Monday.It is not the first race targeted this year.In May, pro-Palestinian protesters stretched a rope across the road shortly before the finish of the 15th stage of the Giro d'Italia in Naples.In July, a man wearing a T-shirt reading "Israel out of the Tour" disrupted the finish of the 11th stage of the Tour de France in Toulouse.But these were isolated incidents, nowhere near the mass demonstrations in Spain, a country where the Palestinian cause is popular.Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has talked of "the genocide in Gaza", even expressed "deep admiration" for the protesters and called for a sporting ban on Israel, a position which incurred the wrath of the UCI on Monday who said it "calls into question Spain's ability to host major international sporting events".There are fears within the peloton, though, that the Vuelta has set a precedent."It's clear for everyone that a cycling race can be used as an effective stage for protests and next time it will only get worse, because someone allowed it to happen and looked the other way," wrote experienced Polish rider Michal Kwiatkowski on social media on Sunday evening."It's very bad for cycling that the protesters managed to get what they wanted. We cannot pretend that nothing happened."The Tour de France, the highest profile race in the world, is an obvious target when it next July but the Israel Premier Tech team, 13th in the UCI rankings, is automatically invited to all the most prestigious races on the calendar.It dropped the word 'Israel' from its shirts during the Vuelta for several stages but categorically refused to throw in the towel.Several riders on other squads called for the withdrawal of the team which was created by Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams, who likes to describe himself as an ambassador for Israel.The race director also suggested that such a withdrawal would help calm the situation while adding that was a decision for the UCI."We alerted the UCI to the situation. They took a position through a statement to keep Israel PT in the race," Guillen said Tuesday.In its statement the UCI expressed its "total disapproval of and deep concern" about the events that marked this year's Vuelta, calling them a "serious violation of the Olympic Charter and the fundamental principles of sport".The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed at least 64,905 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.

Protests target Israeli team over Gaza conflictPM Pedro Sanchez expresses admiration for protestersPro-Palestinian protests forced the Vuelta a Espana cycle race to be abandoned at its finale on Sunday, with Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard declared winner as police sought to quell demonstrations against an Israeli team's participation.Protesters chanting "they will not pass" overturned metal barriers and occupied the Vuelta (Tour of Spain) route at several points in Madrid as police attempted to push them back."The race is over," said a spokesperson for the organisers, who also cancelled the podium ceremony, leaving Vingegaard celebrating in the back of his team car.Earlier, Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed "admiration for the Spanish people mobilising for just causes like Palestine" by protesting during the race.The demonstrations have targeted the Israel-Premier Tech team over Israel's actions in Gaza. Some riders had threatened to quit last week as routes were blocked, causing some falls.Seven Israeli chess players withdrew from a Spanish tournament starting on Friday after organisers told them they would not be competing under their flag, citing the Gaza conflict and expressing solidarity with the Palestinians.On Sunday in Madrid, more than 1,000 police officers were on duty as cyclists reached the final stage of the 21-day race - the biggest deployment since the Spanish capital hosted the NATO summit three years ago.Police held back a crowd of hundreds bearing placards and waving Palestinian flags for several hours as the cyclists snaked their way through towns and villages towards Madrid.As the riders drew closer to the capital, the demonstrators hurled plastic bottles and traffic cones, upended blue barriers and surged onto the road. Baton-wielding riot police fired smoke bombs to try to disperse them.PM Sanchez has repeatedly clashed with Israel over its war in Gaza, describing it as genocide.Spain, along with Ireland and Norway, last year recognised a Palestinian state, prompting an angry response from Israel, which said it amounted to a "reward for terrorism".This week, Sanchez announced a block on oil and arms to Israel. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused his Spanish counterpart of antisemitism and making genocidal threats.It is the first time one of cycling's Grand Tours has been prevented from completing its final stage by political demonstrators since the Vuelta in 1978 was halted by Basque separatists in San Sebastian.Health Minister Monica Garcia said the latest protests showed Spain was a "global beacon in the defence of human rights.""The people of Madrid join dozens of demonstrations across the country and peacefully bring to a halt the end of a cycling race that should never have been used to whitewash genocide," Garcia said in a post on Bluesky.A government source defended Sanchez's comments, saying: "The prime minister has shown his admiration for the Spanish people for being brave when others look the other way from the genocide in Gaza."

Australian Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) went for broke five kilometres from the summit finish to win stage 10 of the Vuelta a Espana Tuesday, repeating his stage six victory, while race favourite Jonas Vingegaard reclaimed the leader’s red jersey.Vine caught and overtook Spain’s Pablo Castrillo (Movistar) on the climb to the finish of the 175.3km ride from Parque de la Naturaleza Sendaviva to El Ferial Larra Belagua, raising two fingers as he crossed the line after his second individual stage win of this year’s race.The 29-year-old – mountains classification winner last year and this year’s leader of the category – also won two stages in 2022.“Winning is so, so hard, and it’s such an incredible feeling when it happens,” Vine said.“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to winning, because it’s just unbelievably hard.”Castrillo held on to take second spot, 35 seconds behind Vine, with the Spaniard’s compatriot and teammate Javier Romo finishing third.Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) had lost the red jersey to Norway’s Torstein Traeen (Bahrain Victorious) after stage six, but having begun Tuesday’s stage 37 seconds off the lead, he opened a gap to Traeen on the final climb to move 26 seconds ahead in the general classification.Following Monday’s rest day, Tuesday’s stage was a mostly flat ride, with one category three climb along the way before the category one finish, and any early breaks had all been quashed by the peloton.A group, which eventually included 30 riders, made the decisive break 72km from the end, and they were allowed to get away, though the leading group was whittled down as the race wore on.There were attacks from the breakaway, with Romo trying to get away, but when Castrillo made his move with seven kilometres remaining, the Spaniard looked set for victory, but Vine reacted and powered past the leader for another stage win.The riders in the strung out peloton were never going to contest the stage win, but the GC battle commenced on the final climb and Vingegaard, who had already closed the gap to Traeen by winning the previous stage, returned to where everyone expected the Dane to be.Vingegaard was part of a small group which began passing some of the breakaway riders towards the finish, and his 11th-place finish on the stage brings an end to Traeen’s time in the red jersey.