Richard Plugge, general manager of Visma-Lease a Bike, has strongly criticized pro-Palestinian protesters who disrupted the 2025 Vuelta a España, claiming their actions lacked any “noble aspiration” and were aimed at “destroying things.” The protests, which marred multiple stages of the prestigious Grand Tour, led to stage neutralizations, cancellations, and injuries, casting a shadow over Jonas Vingegaard’s victory in Madrid on Sunday.
“I’ve never experienced so much hate,” Plugge told Wielerflits. “There really wasn’t any attention being drawn to anything anymore. It was really about destroying things.” The protests, which Plugge argued went “beyond the sport,” caused significant disruptions, including the neutralization of the final stage before riders entered the finishing circuit in Madrid and the cancellation of the official podium ceremony. Other incidents included the shortening of three stages, including the race’s only individual time trial, and delays during the Team Time Trial, where the Israel-Premier Tech team was notably held up.
The protests also had physical consequences. Several riders crashed due to protesters on or near the road, with Movistar’s Javier Romo forced to abandon the race after sustaining injuries in one such incident. The disruptions sparked widespread frustration among teams, riders, and organizers, with Plugge questioning the motives behind the actions. “I don’t believe at any point there was a noble aspiration behind it,” he said.
Amid the controversy, Visma-Lease a Bike’s star rider Wout van Aert quietly deleted an anti-Israel post from his social media, a move that has drawn attention but remains unaddressed by the rider or the team. The post’s removal comes as the team navigates the fallout from the protests, which have overshadowed their otherwise dominant performance in the Vuelta.
Under Plugge’s leadership since 2012, Visma-Lease a Bike—formerly Rabobank, Belkin, Lotto-Jumbo, and Jumbo-Visma—has risen to become one of cycling’s most successful teams, securing nine Grand Tour titles, including Vingegaard’s latest triumph. However, the 2025 Vuelta will likely be remembered as much for its off-road controversies as for its on-road achievements.
As the cycling world reflects on the turbulent race, questions linger about how future events can balance freedom of expression with the safety and integrity of the sport. For now, Plugge and his team are focused on moving forward, with Vingegaard’s victory serving as a bittersweet capstone to a challenging Vuelta.
