Vuelta 2023: Another victory for the region's cyclists
The opening weekend of the Vuelta a España can get very wet. In the summer months it can be very hot, but that is interspersed with extreme weather conditions. According to Weeronline, there is a chance of a heavy rain shower during the team time trial and you have to watch out for thunderstorms on Sunday during stage 2.
"Saturday starts dry and fairly sunny, but during the afternoon the clouds increase and in the evenings some showers move over the Barcelona region," says meteorologist Berend van Straaten, who for WielerFlits looked with extra emphasis at the weather forecast between 7 and 9 p.m.
“It is quite likely that the team time trial will not be completely dry. The showers can be quite strong, but have a fairly local character. So it could also just be that it's not too bad.”
"Severe thunderstorms at the start of stage 2"
The second stage from Mataró to Barcelona will have to deal with precipitation anyway, expects Van Straaten. “Sunday morning there will be showers and thunderstorms around the Mataró region. Locally, the showers can be very strong with a chance of hail, gusts of wind and a lot of rain in a short time. Around Mataró there can be 20 to locally 50 mm of rain,” he says.
“In the course of the afternoon it will become drier and the sun will break through again, but certainly the first half of the stage should be taken into account with heavy rain and thunderstorms. All in all, the prospects are pretty bad, especially for Sunday," the meteorologist expects.