A torrential hailstorm in the French Pyrenees compelled the abandonment of the third stage of the Vuelta a España on Monday.
With 15km (9.32 miles) remaining of the 174km route from Gruissan to Font-Romeu, the skies darkened because the peloton neared the highest of the Col de Mont-Louis and big hailstones started bouncing off the tarmac and pelting the riders.
Mats Wenzel (Kern Pharma) and Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana) have been 25 seconds forward of the peloton when the weather intervened because the race chief and favorite Tadej Pogacar was seen indicating to the peloton to drag off the course.
Bedraggled riders have been then seen getting off their bikes and shuffling into a lodge for shelter, leaving followers pissed off on the end the place thick layers of hail blanketed the street.
“For the security of the riders, stage three has been cancelled due to hail and severe weather,” race organisers stated shortly afterwards. “There will be no winner and no podium ceremony.”
Slovenia’s Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG) retained his general lead of 9 seconds from Belgium’s Wout van Aert (Dutch Visma-Lease a Bike) with Britain’s Matt Brennan 10 seconds again.
Earlier it had been heat and sunny on the flat approaches to the mountainous end with no signal of the chaos to return as a five-man breakaway group stayed out forward.
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Pogacar, bidding to finish his Grand Tour assortment by successful the Vuelta for the primary time, was at all times close to the entrance of the pack with his staff setting the tempo.
Sadly, his anticipated problem for the stage victory fell foul of the climate in an anti-climactic end.
He will get his likelihood to underline his superiority once more on Tuesday although with stage 4 that includes three first-category climbs because the race begins and finishes in Andorra la Vella.