The Italian cycling race Tre Valli Varesine, with Tadej Pogacar, was abandoned on Tuesday after heavy rains battered the north of the country.

The soaking conditions which hit the race between Busto Arsizio and Varese in Lombardy, which had earlier been delayed and shortened to 168 kilometres, caused riders to stop with 58km completed.

Riders Halt Due To Extreme Weather

Italian media reported that the riders then spoke to organisers and it was decided that the race would not be finished due to the poor conditions.

UAE rider Pogacar was the big favourite for Tuesday's race, which is a warm-up for Il Lombardia on Saturday, the final "Monument" one-day race of the road cycling season.

Pogacar's Insight On Dangerous Conditions

"At the neutralized start there were already 7 punctures and a couple of broken wheels. We tried to race, but in the descent on the last lap we did I was in second position behind Covi, but we couldn't see where we were going," Pogacar explained.

"Everybody wanted to stop. It was just a matter of question in which lap someone would crash. Those are the worst crashes when you lose the handlebars. I know a lot of friends from the peloton who had concussions this year. It's something we need to be more careful of in the peloton."

Pogacar expressed his empathy for the organizers, stating, "We understand the organizers that they want a race, but in the end the riders made the right decision. We are sad for the race to not continue, but it's like this. Luckily everybody was reasonable."

He added, "I could see how heavy it was for the boss of the organization. There were tears in the eyes. This race means a lot to them, but when you can't race you can't. They understood that immediately. I'm really thankful for that."

Pogacar's Strong Form Leading Up To Il Lombardia

The Slovenian star won the Tour of Emilia at the weekend in his first race after being crowned world champion for the first time last month.

Women's Race Carries On Despite Rain

The rain didn't stop the women's race, which was held on Tuesday morning and won by France's Cedrine Kerbaol after also being significantly shortened.