THE 11th stage of the Spanish Vuelta was cut short and finished without a winner today following a disruption by pro-Palestinian protesters near the finish line in the Basque Country city of Bilbao.

Police were called in to contain the protesters, many of them carrying Palestine flags and pro-Palestine signs.

Race officials made an announcement to the teams as the riders got closer to the end of the 157.4-kilometre (98-mile) stage that also started in Bilbao.

“Due to some incidents at the finish line, we have decided to take the time at 3 kilometres before the line. We won’t have a stage winner. We will give the points for the mountain classification and the intermediate sprint, but not on the finish line,” they said.