The Policía Nacional has released this video of what they said was a trap concealed in undergrowth on the Vuelta route with the aim of pouring oil down onto the riders as they passed the spot on Monday's stage 3.
The plan was foiled, on Saturday, when the barrels and pipes were discovered, and four pro-Catalan independence suspects were arrested. They were detained two days before they could stage their protest against the 'Spanish imperialist Vuelta' and in support of Catalan separatism.
There were other pro-separatism and pro-Catalan protests in recent days, which were organised to campaign against the presence of the Spanish Grand Tour in Catalonia, where a sizeable minority of people want the region to be a separate and standalone jurisdiction no longer part of Spain.
In a statement, the police said it detained "four people accused of trying to sabotage La Vuelta as it passes through the province of Lleida". It added the suspects were "surprised when they tried to activate a mechanism with which they intended to spill some 400 liters of liquid, similar to motor oil, on the road as the cycling peloton passed during the stage on Monday" from Suria, Barcelona, to Arinsal, Andorra.
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The police statement added: "The device consisted of two drums, with a capacity of 200 liters each, as well as an activation device with a valve and a timer. The mechanism was hidden among the vegetation, including the hose that was going to pour the liquid and that extended to the road, making it difficult to detect. The liquid is pending analysis by forensic science specialists to determine its final composition.
"The agents have verified that those arrested adopted numerous security measures to avoid their detection and surveillance. At the time of their arrest, none of them had a mobile phone and they had used secondary paths – of difficult passability - to get to the point where they had installed the mechanism."
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The suspects have already appeared before the courts, and been released on bail, after two nights in custody. They have been charged with several offences including "belonging to a criminal group, public disorder" and with other offences "against road safety and against the environment".
