No final French day at the Vuelta. A severe hailstorm struck during the third stage scheduled today from Gruissan Aude to Font Romeu covering 174 km. During the climb towards the Col de Mont Louis mountain pass, the race was hit by torrential rain that then turned into hail, an unsustainable situation that forced organizers first to stop and neutralize the race and then to decide on its cancellation.
At that moment, less than 20 km from the finish line remained, the caravan was tackling the false flat section following the Mont Louis pass, on the attack were Mats Wenzel (Equipo Kern Pharma) who was part of the day's breakaway and Lorenzo Fortunato (Team XDS Astana) who had just joined him. The two athletes were pedaling with about twenty seconds advantage over the peloton, but the situation appeared complicated from the start. In the rear of the group, the first riders sought shelter under makeshift awnings, while Tadej Pogacar signaled to slow down. Race control immediately stopped the stage and had the riders take shelter in a building, then announcing the cancellation.
Tomorrow the race will arrive in Andorra, with departure and finish in the capital for a very short stage of just 104.8 km, but far from simple with 4 mountain passes to tackle. Tadej Pogacar will once again wear the Roja jersey with a 9" advantage over Wout Van Aert.
THE OFFICIAL STATEMENT. The third stage has been cancelled following a consultation between the organizer and the President of the Commissaires' Panel. The decision was made due to a significant deterioration of weather conditions during the stage, including poor visibility, strong wind and icy roads. After consulting with the organizer, the President of the Commissaires' Panel decided to cancel the results of both the intermediate sprint and the King of the Mountains award.