Spanish police said Tuesday they had arrested four men suspected of plotting to sabotage the Vuelta a Espana by pouring oil on a stretch of highway the cyclists were due to use.

Officers detained the four on Saturday in a wooded area near the town of Suria in the northeastern region of Catalonia just as they prepared to release 400 litres (88 gallons) of “a liquid similar to motor oil” from two drums onto the road, Spain’s National Police said in a statement.

The drums and a hose that stretched from them to the highway “were hidden amongst the vegetation, making it difficult to detect,” the statement added.

The third stage of the Vuelta on Monday – a 158.5-kilometre (98.5-mile) ride from Suria to Arinsal in Andorra – included that stretch of the highway.

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