Overview
- A severe hailstorm on Monday forced race officials to neutralize the third stage about 15 kilometres from the planned Font‑Romeu finish and then abandon it with no winner or podium.
- Roughly 180 riders sought shelter at roadside cafés and the IGESA Village Club hotel in Mont‑Louis, where staff handed out towels and hot drinks and the hotel later received a flood of five‑star online praise.
- Tadej Pogacar moved to the front of the peloton during the storm, signalled to stop, and kept the red leader’s jersey after the cancelled stage.
- On Tuesday Pogacar launched a 50.3‑kilometre solo on the Andorra mountain stage, won by 2 minutes 39 seconds and increased his overall lead to 3 minutes 21 seconds over Primož Roglič.
- The episode highlights the acute weather risk of high‑altitude Pyrenean stages and gives Pogacar a commanding position in the Vuelta while leaving scope for upset from crash, illness, or further extreme conditions.