"I first took shelter in a van" - Wout Van Aert describes urgent shelter search after hail began raining down on the peloton
CyclingMonday, 24 August 2026 at 20:02
Stage 3 of the Vuelta a España has led to an incredibly unusual finale. Whereas the riders were expected to arrive in Font Romeu this Monday afternoon, the peloton instead sought out refuge in a hotel in the Pyrenees. Wout Van Aert described his encounter with the brutal hail storm.
The difficult weather situation throughout western Europe made it so that today's incident was not fully unexpected. But with the riders within reach of Font Romeu, it seemed as if the situation looked to be under control, specially with the uphill finish deeming it less dangerous than what a flat sprint would be.
Van Aert hides from the hail in a van
Wout Van Aert had been dropped on the opening climb of the final sequence, but as it would turn out, his second place in the overall classification would be kept. The stage was cancelled after hail began falling on the riders.
Whilst TV footage captured what the peloton did to move away from the pouring ice, those behind had nowhere to go. Van Aert was one of the riders who had no option but to stop and get in a nearby van.
“I first took shelter in a van, and then almost all the riders were in a hotel nearby," he revealed in words to Sporza. “Suddenly the thunderstorm broke out and there was little racing left to do. It would have been very unsafe, because the road was covered in hailstones. Now I’m going to warm up".
Team DS Marteen Wynants saw no alternative other that cancelling the stage: “It is a good decision by the organization and riders to get off their bikes. Given the weather conditions, it was simply too dangerous to continue, and for everyone’s safety, it was best to cancel the race".
Tadej Pogacar calling for the race to be neutralized
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Visma keeps its cards into Andorra
The Dutch team goes into stage 4, the first high mountain stage, with its GC men still intact. As it stands, Van Aert and Matthew Brennan actually sit second and third in the overall classification, although that's not likely to last long.
But the team hasn't had to neither sacrifice or see Sepp Kuss, Ben Tulett or Jorgen Nordhagen shedding any time in the first summit finish of the race.
Stage 4 provides a profile where attacks from earlier are more likely, and so the team's depth can be used in a better way. With Kuss being a resident in Andorra, he will certainly be one of the man to eye for this Tuesday's stage.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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