The final stage of the 2025 Vuelta a España was cancelled on Sunday after large pro-Palestinian protests broke onto the course in central Madrid.
Race organisers halted Stage 21 on safety grounds and confirmed that all classifications would stand as of the end of Saturday’s Stage 20, handing overall victory to Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard of Visma–Lease a Bike. The podium ceremony was also cancelled.
Stage 21 had been scheduled as a flat 103.6km run from Alalpardo to a finishing circuit in Madrid, with the ceremonial conclusion expected early on Sunday evening. Despite concerns about potential disruption, the stage started and proceeded towards the capital before being stopped after protesters entered sections of the route. Organisers said the stage “ended early to ensure the safety of the riders.”
Demonstrators opposed to the participation of the Israel–Premier Tech team blocked roads and spilled onto key avenues used by the race, including Gran Vía and Paseo de la Castellana. Police intervened as riders were halted multiple times; local authorities reported arrests and injuries amid clashes near the route. With no prospect of completing the planned laps through the city centre, organisers abandoned the stage and cancelled the podium ceremony.
Vingegaard’s overall victory—his first Vuelta and third Grand Tour after Tour de France wins in 2022 and 2023—was effectively secured on the penultimate day and confirmed when the race was called off. According to race tallies, he finished 1min 16sec ahead of Portugal’s João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates), with Britain’s Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) in third, earning his first Grand Tour podium. With the final stage voided, no stage winner was declared.
The Madrid finale followed a Vuelta repeatedly disrupted by protests over Israel’s war in Gaza, with actions throughout the three-week race targeting the presence of Israel–Premier Tech. Stage 11 in Bilbao ended without a winner after demonstrators forced a neutralisation near the finish. Stage 16 was curtailed, and Thursday’s Stage 18 individual time trial was shortened to around 12.2km; police reported arrests linked to that incident. Riders had voiced growing safety concerns as organisers adjusted routes and timings in response.
On Sunday, Madrid authorities deployed a substantial police presence in anticipation of further disruption, but mass demonstrations still reached parts of the finishing circuit. Barriers were reportedly thrown into the roadway on Gran Vía as the peloton approached central Madrid, prompting repeated stoppages before the race was terminated. The event had been due to finish at around 19:00 local time.
The cancellation immediately drew political attention. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez publicly expressed support for the protesters earlier in the day, while Israeli officials condemned the disturbances and criticised the Spanish government’s stance. The episode capped an unusually contentious edition of the Vuelta, with organisers balancing security measures against the imperative to complete racing as scheduled.
La Vuelta’s official schedule listed Stage 21 as a short evening run-in from Alalpardo with multiple laps in the heart of Madrid, a day traditionally reserved for sprinters and celebration for the overall leader. With the stage voided, the final general classification, points, mountains and young rider standings remain as they stood at the end of Stage 20. Team Visma–Lease a Bike confirmed Vingegaard’s overall win shortly after the race was halted.
Organisers did not immediately indicate whether any formal presentation would be rescheduled. In the absence of the usual ceremony at Cibeles, teams began to disperse from central Madrid on Sunday evening as riders and staff assessed the outcome of a Grand Tour concluded under exceptional circumstances.
