Tre Valli Varesine turns into dangerous waterslide: Men’s race will not resume after heavy rainfall

Chaos surrounded the Tre Valli Varesine on Tuesday as the Varese region suffered from extreme rainfall, with weather forecasts showing little promise. The race attracted a star-studded lineup, including Tadej Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic. In addition to the men’s race, a women’s race was also scheduled.

According to the latest weather forecasts, 200 to 250 millimeters of rain was expected to fall over twelve hours on Tuesday, raising concerns about the race’s viability. As updates rolled in throughout the day, it became clear it would be a challenging event.

No concerns for Tour of Lombardy

For riders like Pogacar, Roglic and Evenepoel, Tre Valli Varesine serves as the final preparation for the Tour of Lombardy, scheduled for Saturday. Known as the 'Race of the Falling Leaves', the event appears safe for now, with favorable weather predicted for the weekend.

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For Pogacar, the weather made little difference. The Slovenian cycling superstar doesn't need to fine-tune his form. In the Giro dell'Emilia, he followed up his incredible solo ride from the World Championships with yet another impressive solo performance. Already on the first of five climbs of San Luca, in Bologna, he dropped the competition from his wheel. Visma | Lease a Bike will also have a team in the race, including Wilco Kelderman and Matteo Jorgenson. The latter tried to keep up with Pogacar on Saturday but paid a heavy price for it.

Difficult decisions for the women’s race, which was ultimately shortened

The women’s race started early in the morning, with riders setting off around 9:00 AM local time in rainy conditions. There was initial uncertainty over the race format, as rumors circulated that it might be shortened by two laps, but this was later retracted during Eurosport’s broadcast. The race continued as the situation around the finish circuit evolved, but first the riders had to reach that finish.

Later, graphics showed that the women still had 134 kilometers to cover, suggesting the original distance. However, with the unpredictable conditions, further updates were likely. Eventually, two laps were cut from the initially planned six, leaving four laps remaining, with the official start time also pushed back slightly. In the end, Cédrine Kerbaol took the win.

The same chaos unfolded in the men’s race: they were set to ride 30 kilometers less, resulting in two fewer laps than planned, covering a total of 170 kilometers. This race, too, was marked by rain — relentless and intensifying. Shortly after 2:00 PM local time, various sources reported that the race had been halted due to the amount of water on the course. Not long after, the dreaded news officially came in: the race would not be resumed.