Vuelta a España cancelled - Stage 3 brought to an abrupt end after hail storm forces riders into shelter
CyclingMonday, 24 August 2026 at 17:48
Stage 3 of the 2026 Vuelta a España has been cancelled. The peloton was making its way up to Font Romeu when a hail storm suddenly began falling on the riders, forcing an immediate disruption of the race.
Ethan Hayter in the breakaway
The stage had seen a breakaway of six riders up the road including green jersey Ethan Hayter. On the penultimate climb of the day, Mats Wenzel took the head of the race, and was joined by Lorenzo Fortunato who attacked from the peloton.
Severe weather conditions that have been affecting western Europe were expected to lead to poor weather in the Pyrenees, and the worst fears came to be.
Rain began falling very heavily on the peloton during the climb itself, whilst the race broadcast continued to show heavy rain and hail falling a the finish line in Font Romeu. The weather conditions did not allow the helicopter to follow the race at a certain point.
Hail forces riders to seek shelter and cancel La Vuelta stage
UAE Team Emirates - XRG was at the head of the peloton inbetween climbs, whilst it was possible to see riders at the back of the peloton seeking shelter from the hail that began falling on them.
Pogacar was one of the riders then gesturing to bring the race to a halt. With 15 kilometers to go, the riders in the peloton headed towards a large building at the side of the road.
For several minutes, many waited for the weather to calm down, and for the race to potentially resume. But this was not possible. Only a few minutes after, the race organizers would officially cancel the race, not just neutralize it.
Tadej Pogacar hence remains in the lead of the Vuelta a España, with the stage having no official results. Tomorrow on stage 4, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider will continue to be in the red jersey.
Tadej Pogacar calling for Vuelta a España to be neutralized
Read also
Carlos Silva is a writer for CiclismoAtual.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he contributes race reports, interviews, analysis pieces, and live coverage of the international cycling calendar. Holding a degree in Sports from the Jean Piaget Institute, he combines academic knowledge of performance, training, and competition with hands-on journalism experience in professional cycling.
Throughout his career, Carlos has conducted interviews with leading figures in the sport, including Alberto Contador, Joaquim Rodríguez, Óscar Pereiro, João Almeida, Isaac del Toro, Derek Gee, John Degenkolb and Geraint Thomas. These conversations reflect direct engagement with Grand Tour winners, Classics specialists, and emerging talents.
He has provided on-site coverage at major events ranging from the Vuelta a España to the Tour de France, alongside stage races such as Vuelta a Andalucía, Volta ao Algarve, Volta a Portugal and O Gran Camiño. Covering the mythical climbs of the Giro d'Italia remains one of his professional ambitions.
Carlos is responsible for liveblog coverage of all major WorldTour races and beyond, including the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España. His reporting integrates verified data from ProCyclingStats to ensure statistical accuracy, contextual depth, and analytical precision.
A lifelong cycling enthusiast, he approaches storytelling across written, photographic, and video formats with a focus on credibility, tactical insight, and informed race interpretation.
claps 2visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I'm glad no one got hurt. That was wild.DAS24-08-2026
- What's the name they used to call Hinault when he controlled the peloton? The patron? I don't think this is the same thing. Watching that was just crazy.RidesHills24-08-2026
- Did you? Try to be logical. Cycling fans are unlikely to (have) watch(ed) but then they were not the intended audience because they were ALREADY captive. Anyone else had little idea what to expect and was already watching by the time it was too late to realise they might have preferred not to, although, knowing what is popular these days, I doubt many actually reflect or care but just end up continuing to watch. I expect that 10000 will start rising now as anything or discussed tends to do. I can also assure you from observing roadside crowds on climbs that there are huge numbers of spectators who are not actually cycling fans, they just wanna part of it when the circus comes to town. In fact, even in France, the majority along the way are more interested in the caravan than the race and may know 15 riders at best, mostly French.Jumpyjohn24-08-2026
- Tomorrow is clearly a stage to stamp a win to this year's race. Pogi can realistically get a strong foundation lead and it very well could carry all the way to the end. Look what happened at the Tour when he hammered the race early and then almost got to coast to the win. Keep in mind that the riders in this race aren't the caliber of the TDF so...he could have an even better lead.md197524-08-2026
- It was a massive error on behalf of the Vuelta organization to give that idiotic woman access to the riders. They really should be making a public apology, although they will not, and she should be sent packing immediately.
santiagobenites24-08-2026 - The scourge of Social Media, some of these influencers are dangerous. shame on the Vuelta for giving her the platform.slappers6624-08-2026
- Was it in 2021 that Pogačar raced some mountains with rim brakes, and other stages with discs? I'd very much say that disc brakes have won races, with faster racing because of the aerodynamics, wider tires, new wheels, and stronger and later braking (on, say, descents). It wasn't just manufacturers that pushed discs onto the peloton.RidesHills24-08-2026
- Wow, I only just saw this. It's crazy that in this day and age, we have quite literally the most incredible cyclist of all time being hassled by some nobody influencer who thinks they are the centre of the universe and that everyone should know who she is. This influencer will have their 15 minutes of fame. Pogacar will have a legacy.Pogboom24-08-2026
- The first day of the race saw Pogacar take the win in a 9-kilometer long time trial at home in Anodrra. LOL! What and where is Anodrra. And whose house is there?MajorPayne24-08-2026
- Why would any cycling fan even watch that shit?MajorPayne24-08-2026
Loading
2 Comments