MADRID (AP) — The Spanish Vuelta avoided major disruptions by pro-Palestinian protesters after altering the route of Thursday's time-trial stage.
Filippo Ganna of team Ineos Grenadiers won the stage with a time of 13 minutes, edging Jay Vine of UAE Team Emirates by less than a second.
There were several Palestinian flags being waved around the route in Valladolid, and many fans jeered loudly when the riders from Israel Premier Tech passed by, but without significantly impacting their runs.
Thursday’s time trial was originally scheduled to take place on a 27.2-kilometre (17-mile) route, but organizers changed it to a 12.2-kilometre (7.6-mile) route “with the aim of ensuring greater protection for the stage.” The decision to change the route was not fully embraced by all riders.
“The new