Celebrity Fan Web – Marc Soler delivered a powerful solo performance to win stage 14 of the Vuelta a España, conquering the summit finish at Farrapona in northern Spain. The Spanish rider, competing for UAE Team Emirates-XRG. Broke away from a lead group and held his advantage to the line on the race’s second consecutive mountain stage.
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Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark finished second, crossing the line 39 seconds behind Soler. The overall race leader edged out Portuguese rider Joao Almeida, Soler’s teammate. In a close battle for runner-up on the day. Vingegaard gained two more seconds in the general classification, solidifying his lead ahead of the final week.
British rider Tom Pidcock came eighth, maintaining his third-place position overall. However, he lost 10 seconds to Australian Jai Hindley. Who finished fourth on the stage and now sits just behind him in the overall standings. The stage was marked by high-altitude climbs and strategic racing among general classification contenders.
Stage 14 followed a dramatic and disrupted week at the final Grand Tour of the cycling season. With only a handful of stages left. The race continues on Sunday with a 168-kilometre route through Galicia from A Veiga to Vegadeo, a medium-mountain stage expected to test the endurance of the peloton.
Israel-Premier Tech Modifies Race Kit Amid Rising Tensions and Pro-Palestinian Protests
As political tensions spilled into the sporting arena, riders from Israel-Premier Tech competed in modified jerseys during stage 14. The team removed visible logos from their race kit, citing safety concerns amid ongoing pro-Palestinian protests along the Vuelta a España route.
The decision followed a chaotic stage 11, which was halted prematurely due to large-scale protests in Bilbao. Protesters waving Palestinian flags lined the roads. Prompting police to intervene and the race organisers to cancel the final result of that stage.
In a statement issued before stage 14, Israel-Premier Tech said the new jersey design was implemented “in the interest of prioritising the safety of our riders and the entire peloton.” While the team’s name remains unchanged. The riders now wear monogram-branded kits that match the branding used on team vehicles and casual wear.
The start of stage 14 also saw disruption as riders were briefly delayed during the neutral zone. A narrow road filled with spectators waving Palestinian flags caused the peloton to slow before racing resumed. The visibility of the political conflict underscores the increasing challenges faced by international sporting events amid global crises.
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The protests relate to the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict. Triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage. Since then, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza reports over 64,231 deaths due to Israeli military action, with growing concerns over famine-related deaths. The Vuelta continues under tight security as race organisers work to keep the focus on cycling while navigating the impact of global events on sport.