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Tour de France Adapts to Heat, Rejects Early Starts
🇭🇺 Hungary /Sports

Tour de France Adapts to Heat, Rejects Early Starts

From Magyar Nemzet · () Hungarian

Translated from Hungarian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Race organizers are adapting to heat challenges at the Tour de France by shortening stages and allowing early starts.
  • A heat protocol, considering temperature, humidity, and wind, is in place for the cyclists.
  • The weather is expected to cool slightly, but the upcoming Bastille Day stage may still see temperatures between 30-35 degrees Celsius.

Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme has rejected a proposal for very early, even pre-dawn, starts to combat extreme heat. However, he assured that race rules will be adapted to the heat's challenges.

"The heat protocol has been in place for years, considering not just temperature but also humidity and wind," Prudhomme stated. He also reminded that the participants are elite athletes accustomed to high temperatures. The race has already seen rule adjustments, such as not enforcing the one-bottle-per-rider limit recently to help manage the heat.

Years ago, the heat protocol has been in place, which takes into account not only the temperature but also humidity and wind.

— Christian PrudhommeRace director Christian Prudhomme explaining the existing measures to manage heat during the Tour de France.

The good news for the peloton is that forecasts predict a slight cooling of the heat in the coming days, with daily highs potentially dropping below 30 degrees Celsius by the weekend. A particularly significant stage for French fans is scheduled for the day after the rest day, coinciding with France's national holiday, Bastille Day, and is expected to take place in temperatures ranging from 30 to 35 degrees Celsius.

We must not forget that these are top athletes who are used to the heat.

— Christian PrudhommeRace director Christian Prudhomme commenting on the cyclists' ability to cope with high temperatures.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Magyar Nemzet in Hungarian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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