Four activists arrested
Spain’s police are said to have foiled the attack on the Vuelta
08/29/2023, 3:07 p.m
Spanish police say they have surprised four people preparing to attack the Vuelta, the professional cyclists’ tour of Spain. The activists are said to have planned a dangerous act of sabotage.
The Vuelta is one of the three most important tours in the cycling world – and should apparently be the target of an attack this year. As the Spanish police announced, they arrested four people on Sunday who are said to have planned an act of sabotage on the tour of Spain. The people are said to be members of the CDR (Comitès de Defensa de la República) group, which is striving for Catalonia’s independence.
Those arrested are accused of planning to spill motor oil or a similar liquid on the road during the third stage on Monday morning in order to cause cyclists’ wheels to skid. The activists are said to have planned their action on the section of the third stage between the cities of Suria and Arinsal: The police surprised the arrested people in a wooded area when they were preparing a device consisting of two 200-liter barrels and an activation device with an electrovalve and a timer that they supposedly intended to activate remotely.
According to the police, the liquid should have spilled over the route via hoses and massively disrupted the race. Several Catalan pro-independence groups had previously called for protests against the Tour of Spain also going through the Catalan part of the country. Actions were expected in advance to prevent drivers from driving through and thus use the media attention to spread the demands for more sovereignty.
“Repressive Start”
The CDR said: “Just before the start of the Vuelta Espanyolista, the repressive state carries out the “preventive” arrests typical of Francoism. We have comrades who are detained in the La Verneda police station. We go to them support and to denounce the state”. A court has now released the CDR activists until the investigation is complete, but has ordered them to stay at least 500 meters from the cycling event. They are being investigated for offenses against road safety, the environment, belonging to a criminal organization and disturbing public order.
Defending champion Remco Evenepoel won stage three on Monday ahead of Jonas Vingegaard and Juan Ayuso, also taking the overall leader’s red jersey. The stage was completed without incident. Also on Sunday, unknown persons had interfered in the race in a dangerous way: Nails had been scattered on the asphalt at various points in the race. “I had three punctures, one of them because someone decided to put spikes on the road,” said Ayuso, a Spanish professional with top team UAE Team Emirates. “Thank you to that person for throwing nails in the street to kill us,” he said. Belgian titleholder Evenepoel was one of several riders to fall.