Winter weather in southern Europe threatens continuation of multiple races

Severe weather is battering several cycling races in Southern Europe this Saturday. On Saturday morning, it was announced that the third stage of the Setmana Valenciana was canceled due to strong winds, and in the afternoon, the Vuelta a Murcia reported that the final stage was neutralized.

The Vuelta a Murcia takes place less than a hundred kilometers southeast of the Setmana Valenciana. Therefore, the likelihood that this race would also face gusty winds was high. In the starting town of Murcia, wind gusts of up to 90 kilometers per hour were already expected.

However, the stage did start as scheduled on Saturday morning. Local media reported that the start was delayed by half an hour to 11:45 AM and that the stage distance was shortened from 179 to 140 kilometers.

Early on in the race, it became clear that it was not possible to race safely, so the stage was completely neutralized. As a result, Marc Soler now knows for certain that he will take the overall victory in Murcia.

That said, racing does continue in Spain: the riders have been moved to Santomera, where they will compete on a 10-kilometer circuit for the stage win. Times will not count towards the general classification.