THE iconic Spanish Vuelta's final stage was cancelled on Sunday after thousands of rowdy pro-Palestinian demonstrators stormed the track in Madrid.<br /><br />Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard won the annual competition but was denied his victory lap after protesters blocked the finish line - causing organisers to abandon the event.<br /><br />Swathes of pro-Palestine campaigners descended over the capital for the 21st stage of the chaos-stricken competition.<br /><br />The trouble-ridden event came to a close after facing weeks of furious criticism over the Israeli-Premier Tech team's participation.<br /><br />Waving Palestinian flags and chanting pro-Gaza slogans, scores of demonstrators tore down barriers before spilling onto the course where athletes were set to pass.<br /><br />An increased number of police officers had been deployed in preparation for the expected carnage.<br /><br />Cops called it an "extraordinary deployment" and responded to the crowds with tear gas and charges.<br /><br />After learning organisers had cancelled the stage before the cyclists had even arrived due to the raucous, demonstrators cheered in triumph.<br /><br />Waves of protesters were seen chanting: "Palestine wins this Vuelta!"<br /><br />They shouted terms including "boycott Israel", "it's not a war, it's a genocide", "no more deaths of innocent children", while swamping the streets.<br /><br />The protests, which aim to shed light on the deteriorating conditions in Gaza, had already generated huge attention and disrupted the race on several occasions.<br /><br />The organisers said: "For security reasons, stage 21 of La Vuelta has been ended early. There will be no podium ceremony."<br /><br />And they confirmed: "The race has been officially ended and Jonas Vingegaard is the winner."<br /><br />The activism had already forced some stages to be shortened, and in some cases caused crashes with demonstrators bursting onto the track.<br /><br />Campaigners protested throughout the event, starting from its fifth stage.<br /><br />The uncontrollable scenes sparked fears for rider safety and the integrity of the competition.<br /><br />Anticipating more trouble for the finale of one of Europe's most prestigious bike races, authorities deployed 1,100 cops to Madrid.<br /><br />It marked the largest security arrangement since the 2022 Nato summit.<br /><br />Despite the strength in numbers, reinforcements were unable to stop the relentless security breaches.
