The finish of stage 2 of the Critérium du Dauphiné was battered by a brutal hailstorm on Thursday afternoon, catching out a chunk of the peloton as they rode to the finish atop the Col de Porte and the crowds along the road.
Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) had long since taken the stage victory and overall race lead, but even the Slovenian was affected by the storm, his wife and young child forced to seek shelter in the car of Cyclingnews reporter Peter Cossins.
@GroupamaFDJ sur la route du @DAUPHINE #CritériumduDauphinéLibéré #Dauphiné pic.twitter.com/e4bSXQ5uW8
— Philippe Mauduit (@phmauduit) August 13, 2020
Meanwhile, the podium ceremony was cut short after the inflatable roof collapsed just as Egan Bernal (Team Ineos) was receiving the white jersey for best young rider.
#Dauphiné
— CCC Team (@CCCProTeam) August 13, 2020
???
? @delaparte86 from the safety of the team car ?? pic.twitter.com/xe2hgqSX8v
Deceuninck-QuickStep domestique Tim Declercq posted a photo to Instagram of vicious-looking welts on his back suffered after taking hits from the hail, while B&B Hotels-Vital Concept neo-pro Maxime Chevalier had a similar injury.
Many Riders – including our boys – were hit by one hell of a hail storm – worst Than anything we expirienced. The scene was total chaos and mayhem. .. riders running for cover, hit hard by icy mini ping pong balls. #CriteriumduDauphine @dauphine pic.twitter.com/Y6XI0PCSRs
— Israel Start-Up Nation / Israel Cycling Academy (@YallaIsraelSUN) August 13, 2020
Other riders caught up in the storm while they were still riding included Tony Martin (Jumbo-Visma), who sought shelter under a fan’s rubber raft, Luis León Sánchez (Astana), and Jérôme Cousin (Total Direct Énergie), who finished 14 minutes after the time limit haven taken shelter further down the climb.
? Crazy weather at the finish of stage 2 at the #Dauphine ??, happy to report all our guys finished safely.#UAETeamEmirates #RideTogether pic.twitter.com/0DZnPy0KRn
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamUAEAbuDhabi) August 13, 2020
A video taken by Groupama-FDJ directeur sportif shows a large group of riders making their way up the climb in the heavy hail. The video shows 22 riders, including Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) passing through before Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) passes, almost coming to a stop before heading off again.
More extreme weather phenomena on Strange Sounds and Steve Quayle. [cycling news, Sport Bible]
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Pretty nasty storm. Head for the tunnel or under the bridge.
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