Giant sprinklers, schedule changes? Tour de France considers options amid heatwave

The Tour de France faces a sweltering challenge as extreme heat grips the cycling race. Organizers are actively exploring ways to mitigate the impact of soaring temperatures on both riders and spectators.

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The cycling has always been a sport of endurance and you always have to find at least a four to five-hour window in the day. And it has to be daylight, if you want good images. We can't be in the dark. And we will always have a hot moment.

Thierry Gouvenou, the Tour's technical director, acknowledged the difficulties posed by the heatwave since the race began in Barcelona. While options like adjusting start times were considered, Gouvenou dismissed them as impractical. Starting races before 8 a.m. would necessitate a "real upheaval" of the event's long-standing structure and daylight requirements for broadcasting.

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When we are in heatwave periods, in terms of temperature, the temperature doesn't drop at night. And I want to say, at 11 a.m., it's already very hot. And if we go from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., we'll also have a lot of heat. So it's not really a solution.

Similarly, shifting the race to a different season was ruled out, with Gouvenou stating it would represent a "colossal loss" for the Tour de France. The current schedule, he explained, is designed to ensure sufficient daylight for clear images and to accommodate the sport's endurance nature, even if it means racing during the hottest parts of the day. Nighttime temperatures offer little respite, as they do not significantly decrease during heatwaves, making early morning starts equally problematic.

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It would be a colossal loss for the Tour de France...