From the Mediterranean at Gruissan the road climbs almost all day. Very little of the gradient is severe, but the race gains close to 1,900 metres between the coast and the line, and after a dip inside the last 15 km the closing 10 km to Font Romeu rise at a steady 4.7%. Font Romeu sits above 1,900 metres in the French Pyrenees and has been an altitude training base since the 1960s, when it was developed for athletes preparing for Mexico City. Thin air counts for more than gradient here. It is the first summit finish of the Vuelta and the first proper look at the climbers, though the ascent is too even to open large gaps. The stage was cancelled. A hailstorm hit the closing kilometres and the riders pulled over to shelter with around 15 km left, so no winner was declared and the general classification stood as it was after stage 2.