Team Visma | Lease a Bike's Jonas Vingegaard in action during Vuelta a Espana.

MADRID-- Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard won the Vuelta a Espana on Sunday but was denied crossing the line in triumph as the 21st and final stage of the trouble-hit three-week race was abandoned when pro-Palestinian protesters blocked the finish in Madrid.

The Visma-Lease a Bike rider effectively wrapped up victory in the year's last Grand Tour victory after winning Saturday's mountain stage to stretch his lead over Portugal's Joao Almeida to one minute and 16 seconds.

Sunday's ride from Alalpardo into the capital was always going to be little more than a procession for the peloton but with riders already in Madrid and approaching the city circuit they were halted at around 6.20 p.m with 60 km remaining.

Vingegaard was seen shaking hands with teammates as confusion reigned, before it was confirmed that the race would not reach its scheduled finish.

"For security reasons, stage 21 of La Vuelta has been ended early. There will be no podium ceremony," organisers said, as thousands of protesters filled downtown Madrid. "The race has been officially ended and Jonas Vingegaard is the winner."

It is the first time one of cycling's Grand Tours has been prevented from completing its final stage by political demonstrators since the Vuelta in 1978 was halted by Basque separatists in San Sebastian.

While the race will be remembered as one of the most volatile in the Vuelta's history, with protests causing chaos since stage five, it was a landmark one for Vingegaard.

It was his third Grand Tour victory, after the Tour de France in 2022 and 2023.

He is also the first Danish winner of the Spanish race.

VINGEGAARD FULFILS FAVOURITE TAG

Almeida (UAE Team Emirates XRG) was second with Britain's Tom Pidcock third - his first podium finish in a Grand Tour.

That Vingegaard, the pre-face favourite, would win the general classification has rarely looked in doubt since he reclaimed the leader's red jersey on stage 10.

There was still hope for Almeida before Saturday's brutal 165.6 km ride from Robledo de Chavela but Vingegaard poured on the power in the last kilometre of the climb to the finish at Bola del Mundo to underline his class.

What had looked in more doubt though was whether the 90th edition of the Vuelta - a race that is no stranger to protests - would even reach its climax in Madrid.

Trouble started on stage five in Figueres when half a dozen demonstrators attempted to stop the Israel-Premier Tech team from racing time trial.

Stage 11 to Bilbao was suspended three km from the finale because of protests, stage 16 was cut short by eight km and stage 18's time trial in Valladolid was more than halved in length because of security fears.

Stage 20 finished as planned despite a sitdown protest around 18 km from the finish that forced riders to re-route. Sunday's stage had already been diverted to avoid demonstrations in outlying towns. But once a large group of banner-waving protesters swarmed Madrid's Paseo de la Castellana, the planned finish, organisers had to admit defeat.

Far from rising across the line with arms aloft, Vingegaard was left to celebrate in the back of his yellow team car.

SPAIN- - Italy's Giulio Pellizzari powered away from the top general classification riders in the final kilometres on the climb to the finish to win stage 17 of the Vuelta a Espana on Wednesday, with Jonas Vingegaard increasing his overall lead by two seconds.

Red Bull-BORA Hansgrohe rider Pellizzari attacked with 3.5km left of the 143.2km ride from O Barco de Valdeorras to the summit finish at Alto de El Morredero and came in 16 seconds ahead of Britain's Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) with Australian Jai Hindley in third.

Vingegaard was next over the line, two seconds ahead of his closest general classification rival Joao Almeida, and the Dane holds a 50-second lead, with Pidcock almost two and a half minutes down on the red jersey in third.

Pellizzari, fifth overall in his first Vuelta and wearing the white jersey for best young rider, found himself alongside the top four in the GC -- Vingegaard, Almeida, Pidcock and Hindley -- along with American Matthew Riccitello (Israel-Premier Tech).

A battle between the top two may have been expected, but it was 21-year-old Pellizzari who made the decisive attack, and while Riccitello tried a couple of times to drag the others up to the leader, the Italian looked comfortable in winning his first Grand Tour stage.

"In the end, it's my fault for not getting on Pellizzari right away," a frustrated Riccitello said.

"But I really thought these other guys would want the stage win. Pretty disappointing that they didn't want to help, I don't think they had much to lose but that's bike racing."

An early 12-man breakaway was eventually reeled in before the riders reached the bottom of the final climb, and the race began in earnest as the main GC riders started to pull away.

Almeida looked to be struggling, dropped at one stage, but the Portuguese rider made his way back to stay in touch with Vingegaard, as these two look set to battle it out for the Vuelta win.

Pidcock, looking to hold on to third overall, made a sprint for the finish to take a couple of bonus seconds from Hindley, his main rival for the podium.

"I think that's the sacrifice, I guess, when riding for the podium," Pidcock said.

"I sacrificed the stage that could have been really nice. But, we're racing for the podium, that's the main goal so we have to make decisions."

STAGE PASSES OFF WITHOUT DISRUPTION

Before the race, riders voted to neutralise the stage if pro-Palestinian protests disrupted the race again, saying they had no intention of racing to an "undefined finish line", after the previous day's stage ended before the scheduled finish.

Tuesday's stage 16 was disrupted by protesters, a feature of this year's Vuelta, with stage 11 also coming to a premature end, but the main threat on Wednesday were strong winds at the summit finish, but in the end the riders were able to race to the line.

There were plenty of protesters present when the race passed through the town of Ponferrada with 25km to the finish, but police had the situation under control.

The area all around the finishing climb had been hit by fierce wildfires less than a month ago, and as the riders made their way up to the line they were greeted by charred barren hillsides.

Thursday's stage 18 is a 27.2km individual time trial in Valladolid which could be a flashpoint for further protests, after the Israel-Premier Tech team were stopped on the road by protesters during stage five's team time trial.

VALLADOLID, Spain-- Italian Filippo Ganna tore through the final third of Thursday's shortened individual time trial to win stage 18 of the Vuelta a Espana in Valladolid, and third-placed Joao Almeida gained 10 seconds on overall leader Jonas Vingegaard.

Time trial specialist Ganna repeated his success of two years ago in the same city, but had an agonisingly long wait after the Ineos Grenadiers rider was fifth out of the gate, setting a time of 13 minutes.

With the aim of ensuring greater protection for the stage after the disruptions caused by pro-Palestinian protesters during this year's race, the organisers of La Vuelta decided to shorten the route to 12.2km instead of the scheduled 27.2km.

"Obviously, with the news of the change in the parcours last night it was a bit strange, but I tried to do all the best today," Ganna said.

"I hope it's enough, we cross the fingers. If someone was stronger than me, I will just say 'chapeau'."

Nobody was stronger, though Australian Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) came close, finishing one second off the Italian to take second place, with his teammate Almeida a further seven seconds behind, and now 40 seconds off Vingegaard.

PARIS-- France striker Kylian Mbappe scored one goal and set up another as the hosts came from behind to claim a fortunate 2-1 win against Iceland on Tuesday, maintaining their perfect start in World Cup qualifying Group D.