After severe weather on day 3 of the Vuelta, fears of a 'Slovenian storm' on stage 4 grow: 'It’ll be a chaotic mess'

The Vuelta a España has taken an unusual turn so far. For example, Stage 3 was canceled on Monday due to severe weather, after the peloton itself decided to take action. Just one day later, the next mountain stage awaits in Stage 4. This time, the peloton, the analysts, the fans (basically everyone) are braced for a 'Slovenian storm'.

On Monday, the skies opened up over the Vuelta. Hailstones as big as tennis balls began falling, prompting the peloton—led by red-shirted Tadej Pogacar—to take action. The riders dismounted and took shelter from the unprecedentedly severe weather conditions.

There isn’t much time to recover, as another challenging mountain stage is on the schedule for Stage 4 on Tuesday. That fourth stage isn’t long, but with three first-category climbs and a third-category climb to top it off, it’s a feast for the strongest climbers. And wherever Pogacar is, the Slovenian is often the strongest.

The advantage for a large portion of the Vuelta peloton is that the stage heads to Andorra and also finishes there. A large number of riders have already made their way to this cycling paradise. Among them is Cian Uijtdebroeks, who will see the finish line of Stage 4 just two streets away from his home.

Speaking to HLN, Sander De Pestel from Movistar shared his thoughts. “They could have made it even tougher, mind you, but the first climb, the Port d’Envalira, is already incredibly high right from the start. We’ll be riding to an altitude of nearly 2,500 meters. It’s a fairly gradual climb, not too steep. After the descent, the extremely steep Collada de Beixalis follows immediately. It’s a wall—a very narrow stretch of road.

Sander De Pestel, who also lives in Andorra, warns about that climb. “It’s by far the toughest climb of the day.” The Belgian expects some fireworks on Tuesday, at any rate. “It’ll be a chaotic mess. It’ll be a great stage, but it might get boring quickly for the winner.”

In fact, people are worried about a Slovenian attack by Pogacar, especially on the Beixalis. “That’s where you can really make a difference, and after that it’s just uphill and downhill.” You can’t always assume he’ll just ride away, but when you see that in Manosque he first followed Van Aert’s attack and then still finished third… I think he’ll stand out again,” said De Pestel.