During a violent hailstorm, a hotel offered shelter to the soaked cyclists of the Vuelta a España, led by superstar Tadej Pogacar – and is now receiving a flood of five-star reviews online. “The perfect place during a hailstorm, and they even provided a towel service just two minutes after 180 cyclists turned up unannounced. They deserve every star they can get!” wrote Tobias Johannessen on Google, presumably from the Norwegian cyclist’s account.
“A warm and welcoming reception area with friendly staff – a lovely place to shelter from the bad weather in the area,” said the Picnic PostNL team. Many other users gave the accommodation in Mont-Louis, France, five stars in their humorous posts.
Towels and drinks for the drivers
The third stage of the 81st Vuelta in the Pyrenees was abandoned on Monday on the final climb due to a severe storm. TV footage showed Pogacar waving his teammates off the road. Many riders sought refuge in the hotel. Photos showed a hotel member of staff handing out towels. Many professional cyclists were sitting in the stairwell, and hot drinks were also being handed out.
“We were out and about with our Monday group when we got caught in a violent hailstorm. A friend in red suggested we pop into a bar for a Carajillo (coffee with brandy) whilst the storm cleared. It tasted heavenly,” joked Guillermo García Fernández. A reference to the red jersey worn by the overall race leader, Pogacar.”
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