Stage 3 of the Vuelta a España was abandoned after a violent hailstorm struck the peloton on the approach to the Col de Mont-Louis, forcing riders to seek shelter in a hotel near the summit and denying the race its first mountain showdown.
The 174-kilometre leg from Gruissan to Font Romeu had been poised to deliver the first summit finish of the 2026 Vuelta, with race leader Tadej Pogačar and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG team positioned to defend or extend the red jersey on the second-category ascent to Font Romeu (9.8km at 5%). Instead, extreme weather intervened before the race reached the penultimate climb.
How the cancellation unfolded
After a flat opening three-quarters, the road began to tilt upwards towards the Col de Mont-Louis, a first-category test spanning 19.4 kilometres at 4.8%. A breakaway featuring Mats Wenzel (Kern Pharma) and late attacker Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS-Astana) held a slender advantage, with the peloton closing in and only the two remaining climbs standing between the field and the finish line.
Television images cut out as the riders crested the Col de Mont-Louis. When the feed resumed, dropped riders were pulling off the road and Pogačar was riding to the front of the group, waving fellow competitors to a halt. The Slovenian, already the race's most powerful figure as defending Tour de France champion, assumed the role of patron and organised an immediate stop.
The entire Vuelta convoy ground to a halt at a hotel near the top of the Col de Mont-Louis. Soaked and frozen riders piled inside to escape what Cyclingnews described as a "massive hailstorm" that blanketed the road in ice. Within fifteen minutes, the organisation confirmed that stage three had been cancelled for safety reasons. No results were taken from the point of stoppage.
No changes to classifications
With no finish, no stage results were awarded and the general classification remains unchanged. Pogačar continues to lead by nine seconds over Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), heading into stage four's mountainous route through Andorra. The points and mountain classifications are also unaffected: Ethan Hayter (Soudal-QuickStep) had taken 20 points at the intermediate sprint, but all stage results were wiped, meaning Koen Bouwman (Visma-Lease a Bike) retains the polka dot jersey.
It is unclear whether breakaway riders Wenzel and Fortunato reached the top of the Col de Mont-Louis before the stoppage. Regardless, the cancellation means the race's opening mountain test will have to wait — stage four now offers the first opportunity for the GC contenders to exchange blows on the road through the Pyrenees into Andorra.
The incident is the latest in a growing list of weather-related disruptions in professional cycling, and raises questions about scheduling and contingency planning as the sport navigates increasingly volatile conditions during the European summer.
Sources
- https://www.cyclingnews.com/pro-cycling/racing/vuelta-a-espana-stage-3-ends-without-a-winner-as-extreme-weather-batters-the-peloton-on-the-road-to-first-summit-finish-at-font-romeu/
- https://www.lavuelta.es/en/news/2026/stage-3-cancelled-due-to-weather-conditions/53402
- https://www.cyclingnews.com/pro-cycling/racing/tadej-pogacar-pulls-over-peloton-as-hailstorm-neutralises-vuelta-a-espana-stage-3/
