'Race neutralised' - second and final stage of Vuelta a Murcia cancelled due to gale-force headwinds

Stage 2 of the 2026 Vuelta a Murcia has been cancelled and the peloton halted as a result of strong winds in the region, with the day's racing substituted with a short, symbolic ride in the finish town.

The race's live coverage first announced on its website that the race was halted, shortly after leaving the start town of Fortuna.

It then later said that "given the strong winds, it is impossible to continue and the bunch will head to [the finish town of] Santomera for a 10 kilometre neutralised stage."

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"Times will not be taken, but there will be a stage winner and the jerseys will be awarded. So there will be an overall winner!"

Due to go over the region's toughest climb, the emblematic Collado Bermejo, prior to the cancellation the Vuelta a Murcia's second stage had originally been reduced in length from 180 to 147 kilometres, cutting out a mid-race loop as a result of the tough weather conditions. The two main climbs of the day, the Collado Bermejo and Cresta del Gallo were, however, retained.

The stage began in Fortuna, but in an area well-known for its exposed, flat landscape south-west of the region's capital, also called Murcia, roughly 23 kilometres into the day's racing, it was announced that the bunch had stopped completely.

At the time there were no breakaways and after about half an hour, the latest update stated simply 'Corredores parados por el momento' - riders stopped for now. The next step was to announce that the entire convoy was to be shifted in team vehicles to the finish town for the symbolic finale.

Photos from the race showed riders talking to the organisers, stopped in the road, and sitting in team cars.

The absence of fully competitive racing on stage 2 means that stage 1 Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) will be declared the overall winner.

Across much of eastern Spain, an orange weather warning - one less than maximum of a red alert - has been in place since yesterday, with winds of up to 90kmh expected in Murcia today.

2026 was the first year that Murcia had reversed the previous trend for reduction from its longest duration, as a five-day stage race in the 1990s, down to just a one-day Classic in the last few years. In 2026, the race was finally boosted back up to a two-day event and local media reported that in 2027 there are plans for it to increase to three. However, it remains to be seen what will now happen after such an important setback.

On Friday evening, it was already announced that stage 3 of the ongoing Setmana Valenciana race was cancelled due to expectations of strong winds in the neighbouring Valencia region of Alicante. An orange weather warning was also decreed for the area.

The Setmana Valenciana is expected to resume on Sunday with the final stage between Sagunt and Valencia, on the northern side of the region, where winds of up to 70kmh are expected, and a yellow warning - the lowest level of alert - is currently in place. Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ) remains the overall leader.

Much of Spain has been battered by one of the rainiest months of January on record, with strong winds, snow and severe flooding also featuring. Last week in the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, the time trial stage was partly neutralised due to a severe gale and further south in Granada, the same difficult, exceptionally wintry conditions have caused teams doing altitude training in Sierra Nevada to train indoors on the rollers because of heavy snowfalls.

Elite men's racing continues further south with the one-day, 1.HC Clásica de Almería. There are currently no dangerous winds forecast for the area on Sudnay.