Adams: "We had two extremely difficult days in the Basque Country. The region is known as a stronghold of far-left activists and separatists who like to protest. They are not our friends, that's for sure. I remind you that in the 1960s and 1970s, the Basque underground ETA operated and formed an alliance with the PLO. We were not surprised by this unfriendly welcome, and yet I have never seen anything like this in a cycling race. A huge and disproportionate number of flags and signs for Palestine and against the State of Israel and enormous amounts of hatred."