Organisers of the Setmana Ciclista-Volta Femenina de la Comunitat Valenciana cancelled Saturday's queen stage between Agost and La Nucía after Spain's state meteorological agency, AEMET, issued an orange alert for severe winds across the province of Alicante.
The cancellation is the first in the race's 39-stage history (spanning ten years) and eliminates the most decisive day of climbing from the 10th edition. The general classification remains frozen from Stage 2, with Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) retaining the leader's jersey.
The decision was taken unanimously before the start by a group that included the race organisation, teams, riders, security officials, Guardia Civil, local authorities and the UCI jury president. "It is a very difficult decision, but one we have taken to guarantee the safety of the riders and everyone involved in the race," the organisation said in a statement issues on social media.
It added that "This will be the first of the 39 stages in the history of our race that cannot be held, but safety is and always will be our priority."
AEMET forecast gusts exceeding 90–100 km/h in Alicante and Valencia, with a red alert activated for the province of Castellón, where winds were expected to surpass 140 km/h. The severe weather was caused by Storm Oriana, which swept across the Valencian Community on Friday and Saturday.
The Generalitat Valenciana sent a mass Es-Alert to mobile phones across Alicante warning of "hurricane-force winds" and recommending that residents avoid outdoor activities and unnecessary travel.
What was lost
The scrapped stage covered 128 km with 2,624 metres of elevation gain, taking in the Alt de Tibi (Category 3), Alt de Tudons (Category 1) and Port de Confrides (Category 2). The route included exposed descents from those peaks and sustained crosswinds on open roads in the forecast conditions.
The top of the general classification stands as follows:
- Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) – 5:58:54
- Maeva Squiban (UAE-ADQ) – +0:56
- Viktória Chladonová (Visma-Lease a Bike) – +0:58
With the queen stage gone, rivals hoping to unseat Vollering have lost the race's main block of categorised climbing. The fourth and final stage on Sunday runs 117 km from Sagunt to Valencia on a largely flat route, with only the Alt de l'Oronet at kilometre 90 offering any elevation before the finish in Valencia.
Cover image credit: Thomas Maheux
