Huge hail storm hits Critérium du Dauphiné riders and spectators

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

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.

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.

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. 

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.