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Video: Watch riders battle 100kph headwind (without success)

Volta a La Marina race in Benidorm abandoned on safety grounds

It’s not just the UK that’s been buffeted by strong winds in recent days, with a video posted to YouTube showing how hurricane force winds in southern Spain caused a bike race in Benidorm to be abandoned.

The 153 rider had just set off on the neutralised start for the third round of the Volta a la Marina when they were “surprised by hurricane force gusts,” reported as reaching 100 kilometres an hour and blowing some riders over, according to organisers.

Not only was it impossible to pedal into the wind, but riders were also forced to unclip to stay safe as well as some having to fight to stop their bikes from being blown away.

Following discussions with the Guardia Civil the race jury took the decision to cancel the race, which forms part of a competition for regional clubs held on weekends from January to March.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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