Tadej Pogacar pulls over peloton as torrential hailstorm forces Vuelta a Espana stage to be abandoned
There were extraordinary scenes in the Vuelta a Espana on Monday when Stage 3 had to be abandoned with 15km to go due to a torrential hailstorm in the French Pyrenees. The 166.7km route from Guissan to Font Romeu contained the first summit finish but as the peloton scaled the Col de Mont-Louis, the skies darkened and conditions quickly deteriorated. Soon the peloton were being hammered by huge…
Torrential hailstorm compels Vuelta a Espana's Stage 3 to be halted in French Pyrenees. The 166.7km route from Guissan to Font Romeu featured the first summit finish, but as the riders ascended the Col de Mont-Louis, the weather took a turn for the worse. Coarse hailstones battered the peloton, compelling them to seek shelter off the road.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG's Tadej Pogacar, the race leader, signaled to the main group to decelerate and eventually stop. The hail was so intense that it resembled snow on the ground, prompting organizers to abandon the stage. "Stage three has been cancelled due to hail and severe weather. There will be no winner and no podium ceremony," an official statement read.
At the time of the abandonment, Equipo Kern Pharma's Mats Wenzel led the race, with all major general classification contenders still in the leading group. The cancellation of Stage 3 leaves Pogacar nine seconds clear of Wout van Aert at the top of the general classification standings.
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- Tadej Pogacar pulls over peloton as torrential hailstorm forces Vuelta a Espana stage to be abandoned thenationalnews.com
- Cyclists run for cover as hailstorm forces La Vuelta stage cancellation abc.net.au
- Vuelta third stage abandoned after hailstorm in Pyrenees channelnewsasia.com
- Huge tornado rips through southern France as Vuelta cyclists flee giant hailstorm euroweeklynews.com
- Third stage of Spanish Vuelta stopped because of hail and no winner declared winnipegfreepress.com
