The Vuelta ends with an improvised podium on refrigerators and in a parking lot.

The Vuelta a España didn't have the expected finish this Sunday, as it had to be suspended due to pro-Palestinian protests in Madrid. The cyclists weren't able to celebrate the end of the competition as they'd hoped, but they did have their own party: they set up an improvised podium on refrigerators and in a parking lot.

Jonas Vingegaard, Joao Almeida, and Tom Pidcock refused to say goodbye without their championship photo and organized a celebration in a hotel parking lot, improvising a podium with refrigerators as pedestals. They left behind some never-before-seen images.

The celebration took place in the parking lot of the hotel where the Visma and Q36.5 teams were staying and was transformed into an improvised stage. No detail was left out, even including an improvised backdrop. The top three in the La Vuelta general classification climbed onto numbered coolers to resemble the podium finishes.

Vingegaard, wearing the red jersey; Almeida, representing the UAE; and Pidcock, wearing the Q36.5 colors, raised their trophies with a naturalness that clashed with the lack of protocol, but conveyed pure authenticity.

The champions celebrated the end of the competition in an empty garage and on a podium, close to the cyclists, who didn't want to miss out on the celebration despite what had happened.