The third stage of the Vuelta a España
had to be called off early on Monday. The riders were battered by severe weather conditions during the final 20 kilometers on their way to Font Romeu, leading to the decision to cancel the stage.
Visma | Lease a Bike praised this decision afterward.
The Dutch team, which had been celebrating with Matthew Brennan as recently as Sunday, rode Monday’s stage with its three best climbers: Jorgen Nordhagen, Ben Tulett, and Sepp Kuss. A strong Wout van Aert could also have handled the final climb, in theory.
However, it never came to that: twenty kilometers from the finish line, it started pouring in southern France. What began as heavy rain turned into lightning and hail. As a result, the riders—including those from Visma | Lease a Bike—had to seek shelter in a nearby hotel.
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Visma | Lease a Bike welcomes the Vuelta organisers' decision
Team manager Maarten Wynants
issued a statement on behalf of Visma | Lease a Bike after the stage. “It was a good decision by the organisers and the riders to stop the race. Given the weather conditions, it was simply too dangerous to continue, and it was best for everyone’s safety to cancel the race.”
The next mountain stage is scheduled for Tuesday.
On that day, the peloton will head to Andorra, home to Kuss and Tulett, among others.
What to expect from stage 4 of the Vuelta a España
Stage 4 of the 2026 Vuelta a España is a short but brutal mountain stage in Andorra, starting and finishing in Andorra la Vella. The route immediately climbs the Port de Envalira (23 km at 4.9% to 2,409 m), followed by a long descent back to Encamp. Riders then face the steep Collada de Beixalis (6.5 km at 8.6%), an intermediate sprint in Ordino, the Coll d’Ordino (9.9 km at 7%), and a final punchy ascent of the Alto de la Comella (3.8 km at 8.6%) before a technical descent to the finish.
Weather is expected to be dry and mild with light winds. Tadej Pogacar leads the race and is the top favorite for this explosive terrain, with threats from Richard Carapaz, Felix Gall, Oscar Onley, and others; strong breakaway candidates could also contend if Pogacar’s team allows it.
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