Wout van Aert takes shelter in van during Vuelta chaos as Visma backs decision to stop

The Vuelta a España descended into chaos on Monday afternoon when a violent storm struck the race in the closing kilometres, leaving riders scrambling for cover as rain, lightning and heavy hail made it impossible to continue safely.

Wout van Aert was among those caught out by the sudden change in conditions. With team cars and buses unable to immediately reach every rider, the Visma | Lease a Bike star initially found refuge inside a van before making his way towards a hotel close to the course.

By that point, a large part of the peloton had gathered there in an attempt to escape the storm.

“I first sheltered in a van and afterwards almost all the riders were together in a hotel nearby,” Van Aert told Sporza after eventually reaching the Visma team bus.

The Belgian described how quickly the situation had deteriorated. What had been a bike race only minutes earlier turned into a question of finding the nearest safe place as hail began covering the road.

“The storm suddenly arrived and there was not much racing left to do,” Van Aert said. “It would have been very unsafe because the road was covered in hailstones. Now I am going to get warm.”

Organisers ultimately called an early end to the stage with around 16 kilometres remaining on the road towards Font Romeu.

According to sports director Maarten Wynants, canceling the race was the right decision. "It was a good decision by the organizers and the riders to get off their bikes. Given the weather conditions, it was simply too dangerous to continue, and canceling the race was the safest option for everyone", Wynants said on the team's website.