"Pello Bilbao voices his confusion over UCI's contradictions, stating that the events in Gaza amount to genocide, following his participation in Vuelta a Espana protests"

"Bahrain Victorious cyclist points out Vuelta's events as demonstrating the frailty within the sport"

, and ASMedia

2025 September 27 . 1:42 AM

2 min read

"Pello Bilbao voices disdain over the UCI's inconsistency, labeling the events in Gaza as acts of... — "Pello Bilbao voices disdain over the UCI's inconsistency, labeling the events in Gaza as acts of genocide following demonstrations during the Vuelta a Espana cycle race"

"Pello Bilbao voices his confusion over UCI's contradictions, stating that the events in Gaza amount to genocide, following his participation in Vuelta a Espana protests"

Pello Bilbao Accuses UCI of Hypocrisy Over Israel's Military Campaign in Gaza

Pello Bilbao, a rider for Bahrain Victorious, has spoken out against the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for what he perceives as a lack of consistency in its handling of Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

In a series of social media posts, Bilbao has labelled the situation in Gaza as genocide and has questioned the UCI's hypocrisy, particularly in comparison to its actions against Russian Gazprom. The Spanish cyclist has expressed his support for Pro-Palestinian protests that disrupted the Vuelta a Espana, including stage 21.

Bilbao's stance mirrors that of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who has called for Israel to be banned from competing in international sports, similar to Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, at least 64,000 people have been killed by Israeli attacks, with much of Gaza being destroyed.

The cyclist's views have not gone unnoticed within the peloton. Michal Kwiatkowski was one of the few riders to speak out about the disruptions, warning that future protests could worsen. Bilbao believes many other riders share his opinions but are afraid to speak out.

The disruptions at the Vuelta a Espana demonstrated the weakness of cycling due to its open road nature and difficulty in controlling long races, according to Bilbao. He finds it difficult to advocate for the removal of Israel-Premier Tech from the peloton due to his personal relationships with riders and staff on the team.

Bilbao has also expressed gratitude towards people taking to the streets or embarking on flotillas to deliver food and break the blockade of Spain. He believes there is growing awareness that the situation in Gaza is a genocide.

However, there is no publicly available information confirming that other professional cyclists share Pello Bilbao's opinion of Israel as a genocide state. Bilbao participated in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and Montréal and this year's Vuelta a Espana.

Bilbao's accusations of UCI hypocrisy have sparked a wider debate within the cycling community about the role of sports in political conflicts and the responsibility of organisations like the UCI in addressing human rights issues.