Archive August 27, 2025

As his Visma-Lease a Bike team came second in a stage five team time trial that was briefly slowed down by pro-Palestinian protesters, Jonas Vingegaard reclaimed the red jersey at the Vuelta a Espana.

The UAE Team Emirates-XRG won the stage race in Figueres by covering the 24.1 km course in 25 minutes and 26 seconds, while Vingegaard’s team finished eighth.

Lidl-Trek, a Giulio Ciccone film, finished nine seconds off the pace of the competition in third place.

A protest attempted to stop riders from the Israel-Premier Tech team from traveling on the road, but it was disrupted the stage.

As police on motorcycles attempted to clear the street of protesters who were waving pro-Palestinian flags and banners, four riders were forced to slow down while four came to a complete stop.

The team ended up in 19th place, 54 seconds slower than the winners, because of the disruption.

Israeli-Canadian businessman Sylvan Adams, owner of Israel-Premier Tech, was also on the offensive during the Tour de France last month, according to protesters.

The organization declared in a statement that it respects “everyone’s right to freedom of speech, which includes the right to peacefully protest peacefully.” However, it categorically denounces the protesters’ perverse actions.

The team works with race organizers and relevant authorities to ensure everyone’s safety at the Vuelta a Espana and all races, and to prevent any protests from affecting race rights and safety, according to the statement.

In response to the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people and the hostage taking of 251, Israel’s military launched a campaign in Gaza.

Juan Ayuso, Joao Almeida, and Marc Soler, who are all now eight seconds behind two-time Tour de France champion Vingegaard, were the UAE’s trio’s 74th victory of the year.

After four days of racing in Italy and France, France’s David Gaudu won the third stage and finished second overall, 16 seconds clear of Vingegaard, who is fifth, with Ciccone in fifth.

Tom Pidcock’s Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team finished eighth, 22 seconds behind UAE’s champion, and he is now 30 seconds ahead of Vingegaard in the GC standings.

In the fifth stage, fifteen national time-trial champions competed, and the teams’ times were determined by the fourth home.

The 171km-long trek across the Pyrenees, starting from Olot in Catalonia to Pal in Andorra, will be the first true mountain test of the year on Thursday.

1. 25 minutes, 26 seconds Emirates-XRG UUA

2. 8 seconds to rent a bike plus.

3. 9secs of Lidl-Trek

4. Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe + 12secs

5. Ineos Grenadiers + 16secs

6. 17 seconds for Moviestar

7. Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale + 17 secs

8. Q36.5 Pro Cycling + 22secs

9. Groupama-FDJ + 24 sec

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma–Lease a Bike) 16 hrs 11 mins 24 secs

2. Juan Ayuso (Spa/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) + 8 seconds

3. 8secs for Joao Almeida (Por/UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

4. Marc Soler (Spa/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) + 8 seconds

5. Giulio Ciccone (Ita/Lidl-Trek) + 9secs

6. David Gaudu (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) + 16 seconds

7. Matteo Jorgenson (US/Visma-Lease a Bike) + 16secs

8. 20 seconds added for Jai Hindley (Aus/Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe).

9. Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) + 20 secs

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, a former midfielder for Arsenal and Liverpool, has agreed to terminate his contract with Turkish club Besiktas.

Following his release by Liverpool in August 2023, the 32-year-old joined Besiktas on a free transfer and had a year left on his current deal.

Under the terms of the termination, Besiktas, who are led by former Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, announced that they had agreed to pay Oxlade-Chamberlain a compensation of 1.75 million euros (1. 5 million).

Oxlade-Chamberlain, who won the Turkish Cup in 2024 and has 35 English caps at the time of his last appearance for his nation, scored five goals in 50 Besiktas goals.

The former Southampton player helped Liverpool retain its 2020 Premier League title despite suffering from injury at Anfield.

Morgan Lake placed third in the Zurich Diamond League Final, becoming the first British woman to surpass two meters in the high jump.

At her first attempt, Lake soared above the mark to become the 86th woman to reach the iconic height.

With just over a fortnight until the start of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, the 28-year-old, whose previous personal best was set in February 2023, was clearly moved.

“It’s crazy. I spent my entire life in the moment, but as soon as I finished, I was just so emotional. Lake expressed his happiness in a sigh.

I said, “I’m going to enjoy it and just jump as high as I can tonight.” If I just believe in myself, it only serves to show me what I can do.

At 1.97m, Lake required all three of her subsequent attempts to maintain the competition after three successive clearances at lower heights.

The Briton maintained that momentum despite the fact that the world-class lineup quickly passed by at the temporary venue where Wednesday’s field event finals took place in the heart of Zurich.

Lake admitted that she had always believed she would jump two meters every year since she first jumped 1.90 meters when she was 16 years old.

Although it hasn’t been as straightforward, she will have faith that she can finish in fourth place in Budapest two years ago, making it clear that she can break that bar before the World Championships.

According to Lake, “The main thing to do is to keep the body healthy and not try to change too much” between now and Tokyo.

Armand Duplantis, a pole vault champion from Sweden, won his fifth straight Diamond League title in preparation for a third consecutive world championship.

Duplantis, the double Olympic champion, won with a clearance of 6 meter after Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis needed three more to pass it before both of them failed at 6.10 m.

The 25-year-old broke the record for the 13th time earlier this month with a clearance of 6.29m, which is his third successive year of improving the mark.

“I shouldn’t take it for granted because it’s really special.” I just need to enjoy it because five in a row is crazy and time moves so quickly, Duplantis said.

With a best jump of 4.82m, reigning world champion Katie Moon of the United States won the women’s pole vault title.

The first six awards were given out, with Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer leaping 8.32 meters to claim the men’s and women’s shot put titles, respectively, while Sarah Mitton and American Joe Kovacs won the men’s and women’s titles.

The athletes who recorded the most points at each of the 14 regular series meetings this year compete in the two-day winner-takes all Diamond League Final.

On Thursday, the action in Zurich comes to a close with 26 finals.