Tour de France - Heatwave: The peloton is sweating - "Don't need 35 degrees"

By Stefan Tabeling and Tom Bachmann, dpa

Temperatures of up to 40 degrees, orange warning level and hardly any cooling in sight: the heatwave also has the Tour de France in its grip and the peloton is sweating profusely.

"Personally, I don't need 35 degrees. It's not like I'm saying I'll go faster there. I'm not a fan of the heat," Lennard Kämna, who has performed so well so far, told the German Press Agency. And former world champion Philippe Gilbert is also struggling with the high temperatures. "The heat was extreme. I'm not normally someone who sweats a lot, but I was completely white from the salt deposits," reported the 40-year-old veteran from Belgium recently after his breakaway attempt.

Drivers must continue to prepare for temperatures above 30 degrees, and on Sunday after Carcassonne in the far south, the thermometer could even crack the 40 mark. The second-highest warning level is already in force in some French departments. "Heat is a big challenge in cycling. Unlike many sports that are not held outdoors, the riders have few options to protect themselves from the direct sunlight," warned team doctor Christopher Edler from the German Bora-hansgrohe racing team.

Drink, drink, drink

The heat factor could therefore play a significant role in the battle for the overall classification. Defending champion Tadej Pogacar is not a fan of extreme temperatures. Was that possibly the reason for his collapse on the Col du Granon? The Slovenian only said: "I know what happened, it won't happen again."

Drink, drink, drink is the motto. The professional cyclists consume up to 1.5 litres per hour during a stage. "You can't drink enough. Every bottle a rider gets on hot stages is worth its weight in gold," emphasised Edler. Otherwise, anything that cools you down helps: ice waistcoats before the start, cold gels and drinks during the race. The riders also put socks with ice under their jerseys. Necessity is the mother of invention.

At Bora, the riders are given drinks rich in electrolytes and carbohydrates. After all, the riders burn up to 7,000 calories on difficult mountain stages. "The basal metabolic rate increases at altitude and in the heat, sweating costs energy, so you have to make sure you're properly replenished," explained Edler. In the mountains in particular, there are two extreme environmental influences that play a role: Heat and altitude.

Risk of sunburn

Drivers need to be prepared for this at an early stage. Edler mentioned various options such as "systematic sauna sessions, hot baths after training or training with more clothing so that the cooling effect of sweating is reduced". This varies from rider to rider.

The risk of sunburn during the tour should also not be underestimated. "The skin is our largest organ, and if you burn a large part of it, it costs resources, especially over three weeks," said Edler. Sun cream with a high sun protection factor is essential, as is UV-proof clothing. Team DSM even uses a specially developed sun cream.

The first heatwave hit France back in June. At that time, the prefect banned riders from the Route d'Occitanie in the Tarn department due to the extreme temperatures and the stage was shortened to 36 kilometres. The Tour organisers hope that it will not have to come to this at the world's biggest cycling race.

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