Vuelta a España: giant hail forces stage three abandonment in Pyrenees

Huge hailstones prompt organisers to act 15km from end

Riders seen heading into hotel on route to take cover

A torrential hailstorm in the French Pyrenees forced the abandonment of the ⁠third stage of the Vuelta a España on Monday.

With 15 kilometres (9.32 miles) remaining of the 174km route ⁠from Gruissan to Font-Romeu, the ​skies darkened as the peloton neared the top of the Col de Mont-Louis and huge hailstones began ⁠bouncing off the tarmac and pelting the riders.

Mats Wenzel (Kern Pharma) and Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana) were 25 seconds ahead ⁠of the peloton when the elements intervened as the race leader and favourite ​Tadej Pogacar was seen indicating ‌to the peloton ‌to pull off the course.

Bedraggled riders were then seen getting off their ‌bikes and shuffling into a hotel for shelter, leaving fans frustrated at the finish where thick layers of hail blanketed the road.

“For the security of the riders, stage three has been cancelled due to hail and severe weather,” race organisers said shortly afterwards. “There will be no winner and no podium ceremony.”

Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG) retained his overall lead of nine seconds from the Belgian rider ‌Wout van Aert (Dutch Visma-Lease a Bike) with the British rider Matt Brennan 10sec back.

Earlier it had been warm and sunny ​on the flat approaches to the mountainous finish with no sign of the chaos to come as a five-man breakaway group stayed out ahead.

Pogacar, bidding to complete his Grand Tour collection by winning the Vuelta ⁠for the first time, was always near the front of ​the pack with ​the Slovenian’s team setting the pace.

His expected challenge for the stage victory fell foul ​of the ‌weather in an ​anticlimactic finish. Pogacar ​will get his chance to underline his superiority again on Tuesday, though, with stage four featuring three first-category climbs as the race starts and finishes in Andorra la Vella.