Hail forces Vuelta stage 3 to be cancelled

Stage 3 of the 2026 Vuelta a España was cancelled after a severe hailstorm struck the final part of the route to Font-Romeu. With around 15 kilometres remaining, the riders stopped on the Col de Mont-Louis and sought shelter as hail and heavy rain made it impossible to continue safely. Race leader Tadej Pogačar was among the first riders to signal that the peloton should stop, and the organisers activated the extreme weather protocol.

The stage has no winner and none of the day's times or bonus seconds count. Ethan Hayter had crossed the intermediate sprint first, while Lorenzo Fortunato and Mats Wenzel were at the front after the Col de Mont-Louis, but all those sporting results were annulled when the stage was cancelled.

The general classification therefore remains unchanged. Pogačar retains the red jersey, with Wout van Aert second at nine seconds and Matthew Brennan third at ten seconds. The riders will face their next mountain test on stage 4, a short 104-kilometre route starting and finishing in Andorra la Vella.