A Vuelta hailstorm forced stage three to be neutralised and then cancelled on Monday, stopping the race before Font Romeu.
The decision came after conditions deteriorated sharply on the final climb. Riders had already crossed the Col de Mont-Louis when the storm hit the race.
Tadej Pogačar, riding in the leader’s jersey for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, moved to calm the peloton. Television pictures showed him urging other riders to slow down with about 15km remaining.
The peloton then came to a halt near the top of the Col de Mont-Louis. Riders sheltered inside a roadside hotel as team staff distributed wet weather clothing.
Race organisers initially appeared to consider a restart. That possibility ended soon afterward when the stage was abandoned.
Vuelta hailstorm leaves no stage result
Stage three produced no official result. The general classification therefore stays unchanged from the previous day.
Pogačar remains in the overall lead, with Wout van Aert of Visma-Lease a Bike second at nine seconds. Matthew Brennan, also of Visma-Lease a Bike, remains third at 10 seconds.
The 174km stage from Gruissan to Font Romeu had started in warm and sunny conditions. The route turned toward the Pyrenees during the final third of the day.
Rain arrived first, making the roads wet and unpleasant. It then intensified into a severe hailstorm, with hailstones large enough to make continued racing unsafe.
Television images showed riders stopped at the roadside and seeking cover. A race announcement then told riders to shelter if needed.
The cancellation removed what many expected to be a key test for the race leader. UAE Team Emirates-XRG had spent much of the stage controlling the peloton.
Pogačar had been widely expected to try to strengthen his overall lead on the final climb. Instead, the weather ended the stage before the race reached its planned finish.
Breakaway caught before the race stopped
A five-rider breakaway shaped the early part of the stage. Ethan Hayter of Soudal Quick-Step joined Magnus Cort of Uno-X Mobility in the move.
Mats Wenzel of Kern-Pharma, Timo Roosen of Picnic PostNL and Olivier Le Gac of Groupama-FDJ United completed the escape.
Hayter, Le Gac and Roosen were brought back with 28km remaining. Wenzel and Cort continued up the penultimate climb toward Mont Louis.
The race pause came before either rider could take the mountains points at the summit. That left the day without a stage winner or a completed climbing contest.
The unchanged top 10 on general classification is:
- Tadej Pogačar, UAE Emirates-XRG, 4:58:40
- Wout van Aert, Visma-Lease a Bike, +9s
- Matthew Brennan, Visma-Lease a Bike, +10s
- Léo Bisiaux, Decathlon-CMA CGM, +12s
- Finn Fisher-Black, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +14s
- Stefan Küng, Tudor Pro Cycling, +18s
- Jay Vine, UAE Emirates-XRG, same time
- Mads Pedersen, Lidl-Trek, +20s
- Primož Roglič, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +26s
- Jordan Labrosse, Decathlon CMA CGM, +27s
The abandonment means the race resumes with the same overall standings. Pogačar keeps his advantage after a day defined by rapidly changing mountain weather.
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