Tadej Pogacar loses Vuelta chance as hail cancels stage

Tadej Pogacar was denied the chance to claim a second Vuelta a España stage victory in three days after severe hail brought the third stage to an early end. The race was first neutralised before organisers abandoned it altogether, judging that a safe and fair restart was impossible.

The interruption came on the Col de Mont-Louis in the Pyrenees, slightly more than 15 kilometres from the planned finish in Font-Romeu. Lorenzo Fortunato had attacked from the favourites and caught Mats Weffel, the last remaining rider from a six-man breakaway. Pogacar's group was around 30 seconds behind when the weather deteriorated sharply.

Hail then covered the road, while the television signal became increasingly unstable. Pogacar and several other riders moved off the route to find shelter as conditions turned dangerous. The race resumed neither after the initial stoppage nor after the organisers' brief assessment, leaving the stage without a result.

The cancellation removes a major opportunity for Pogacar in the early part of the Spanish Grand Tour, while Fortunato and Weffel also lost the chance to contest the finish. The decision was based on protecting the riders and preserving sporting fairness in conditions that no longer allowed the stage to continue.