Vuelta a Murcia queen stage neutralised amid storm conditions
Stage 2 was shortened from 180 to 148 kilometres and delayed by 45 minutes as powerful crosswinds continued to dictate the script in southern Spain, and has since been neutralised, with times not counting towards the GC; however, a stage winner is to be declared.
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Stage 2 of the 2026 Vuelta a Murcia, from Fortuna to Santomera, was originally pencilled in at 180 kilometres. Still, after yet more strong winds in the region, which caused stage 1 to be reduced to 83.5 kilometres, stage 2 has also seen a reduction in distance. The race organisers have decided to slash the stage down to the 148-kilometre mark, with the start also delayed by 45 minutes.
The climbs of Alto Collado Bermejo and the Alto Cresta del Gallo are still featured in the tweaked parcours, although it remains to be seen if any further changes will be made as the situation is heavily reliant on the weather conditions.
Information provided in the evening of February 13 by Eritropoetina on X had the average wind speed at 40-50km/h with gusts of up to 95km/h.
Stage 1 of the Vuelta a Murcia was the UAE show after Marc Soler and Julius Johansen pulled off a magnificent 1-2 finish after a storming attack despite the stormy conditions. Soler obtains a 19-second gap of Johansen in the GC and 40 seconds over the nearest non-UAE competitor in the field, Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5), who will be tasked with a major undertaking to try and overturn that deficit.
It is not the only race affected by the weather today. For the women, the third stage of the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana was cancelled due to the strong winds.
UPDATE: The stage has been neutralised, with the reason being a fallen tree on the road, according to DirectVelo journalist James Odvart on X. The peloton came to a halt inside the first 30km of the reduced stage, and according to ProCyclingStats, continued under neutralised conditions towards Alhama de Murcia, where the riders got into team cars to travel to the finish town of Santomera. GC times will not count. Therefore, Marc Soler is the winner of the race ahead of Julius Johansen and Tom Pidcock.
Courtesy of ProCyclingStats, the race organisers have confirmed that "Due to strong winds, and as it is impossible to continue, the peloton will move to Santomera to ride a 10km neutralised urban circuit."
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