Vuelta a España chaos: Crashes, tacks, fan videos determining the results and threat of snow
It's not been an easy weekend for the organisers


The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Thank you for signing up to The Pick. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
It all sounded like a wonderful idea at first: the Vuelta a España having its Gran Salida in Barcelona, one of the world's most-visited cities.
The opening weekend, however, has been anything but wonderful. Stage one's opening team time trial was described as "dangerous" and "ridiculous" by defending champion Remco Evenepoel who had to ride the 14.8km in near-darkness, while other riders complained about riding back to their team buses without lights on their bike and through busy traffic.
Organisers Unipublic and ASO were hoping that stage two would pass off without incident, but the wet weather worsened and there were yet more talking points that had very little to do with the actual racing that was won by Lotto-Dstny's Andreas Kron.
On the descent of the day's main climb, the Coll d'Estenalles, around 15 riders suffered punctures with tacks apparently on the road. Evenepoel and Geraint Thomas were among the victims, and at the finish UAE-Team Emirates' Juan Ayuso launched a scathing assessment of the perpetrators.
"It's been a pretty complicated day, I think there have been a lot of punctures," the 20-year-old and one of the favourites for the overall win said. "In part because we have low pressure [in the tyres] and therefore it's easier to puncture, but also because someone has decided to put tacks before a corner.
"I want to say thank you to this person for being an idiot and I wish the same thing happens to him what he wished for us. I wish him worse."
Shortly after the punctures, the rain returned, and 30km from the line Thomas suffered his second incident of the day, crashing on a roundabout with fellow favourite Primož Roglič of Jumbo-Visma. Both remounted their bikes and caught the peloton again, but it capped off a stressful weekend for Thomas who lost one of his key helpers, Laurens De Plus, to a crash on stage one.
"I'm OK," Thomas said afterwards. "It was an unfortunate fall on my knee, but luckily it's OK. Roglič and UAE fell right in front of me. The boys knew I had fallen and they stayed with me."
With the rain forcing the organisers to take the general classification at 9km to go, the only two things that the finish at Montjüic would determine was the stage winner and the recipients of the bonus seconds awarded to the top three finishers.
It appeared, however, that there was no official timekeeping at the top of Montjuïc and video footage appeared on X, formerly known as Twitter, showing the race jury watching videos on the smartphones of spectators to determine who claimed the six, four and two bonus seconds.
Confusión para conocer el orden de paso en el punto bonificado. El comisario de carrera pregunta a aficionados si han grabado la llegada de los ciclistas. #LaVuelta23 pic.twitter.com/CMca3ASPJyAugust 27, 2023
Things may not improve on stage three. The race heads north into the Principality of Andorra, and towards a summit finish at Arinsal.
Just a few days ago, temperatures in the Pyrenees were approaching 40°C, but there has been a drastic change of weather in the Iberian peninsula and temperatures have dropped by as much as 20°C with snow even falling on the highest peaks.
When the race rides up to Arinsal on Monday afternoon, the forecast predicts light rain and temperatures of 7°C; strong winds, however, will make it feel like 2°C. Some weather forecasts also predicting the possibility of snow at around 2,000m, with the finish topping out at just over 1,900m above sea level.
It's been a crazy first few days and the carnage may not be over yet.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Chris first started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2013 on work experience and has since become a regular name in the magazine and on the website. Reporting from races, long interviews with riders from the peloton and riding features drive his love of writing about all things two wheels.
Probably a bit too obsessed with mountains, he was previously found playing and guiding in the Canadian Rockies, and now mostly lives in the Val d’Aran in the Spanish Pyrenees where he’s a ski instructor in the winter and cycling guide in the summer. He almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains.
-
-
Even Ben Stiller wants Cav to beat Merckx's Tour de France record
The Hollywood actor is a bonafide cycling boffin - and he wants Cav to win once more, as much as any fan
By Michelle Arthurs-Brennan Published
-
Tinker Bottom on Quicksie Hill - the search for Britain's funniest road names is over
Here are the 27 of the funniest road names from across the UK. And not all of them are rude
By Simon Richardson Published
-
Michel Hessmann anti doping positive a ‘black day’ for Jumbo-Visma says boss
22-year-old German rider suspended by Dutch team in August after positive test revealed presence of diuretics
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
How much did Sepp Kuss and Jumbo-Visma win at the Vuelta a España 2023?
Turns out locking out the podium for much of the race gets you quite a few Euros
By Adam Becket Published
-
Five things we learned from the Vuelta a España 2023: Sepp Kuss is the real deal and Ineos still lacking
Here's what we learned from the final Grand Tour of the 2023 season
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Kaden Groves wins final stage of Vuelta a España as Sepp Kuss confirms victory
Sepp Kuss completes his victory in the Vuelta a España around the streets of Madrid
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Sepp Kuss set to win historic Vuelta a España as Wout Poels claims stage 20
American poised for an unexpected but worthy Grand Tour victory in Madrid
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Remco Evenepoel powers to solo breakaway victory on stage 18 of Vuelta a España
Evenepoel seizes third victory of 2023 Vuelta at La Cruz de Linares as Sepp Kuss stays top of general classification
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Analysis: What is going on with Jumbo-Visma and Sepp Kuss at the Vuelta a España?
The man in the red jersey was attacked for the second day running by his teammates, for seemingly little gain
By Adam Becket Published
-
Jumbo-Visma tightens grip on Vuelta a España as Primož Roglič leads stage 17 podium blitz atop the Angliru
Sepp Kuss keeps the red jersey by eight seconds over Jonas Vingegaard going into the final four stages
By Tom Davidson Published