Norwegian professional cyclist Anders Halland Johannessen has used the media coverage of cycling star Tadej Pogacar’s hotel to voice his own criticism of his own accommodation during the Tour de France. Despite the sweltering heat, there had been no air conditioning at the Slovenian superstar’s hotel.
Johannessen, aged 26, wrote on the X platform: “Could be worse, this is ours,” and panned his mobile phone camera towards the corner of the room. The video shows cobwebs and dirt. At the end of the clip, the professional can be seen with a look of disgust on his face. It is not known where in the Massif Central the hotel is located.
Without further ado, the team-mates of Torstein Traeen – who had briefly worn the yellow jersey during the Tour but had since been forced to withdraw due to injury – got creative. Another video on Instagram showed them setting up their beds on the hotel balcony and spending the night outdoors. Johannessen commented: “The inside of the hotel: questionable.” Outside, he said, it was very nice. After the night, he wrote: “I’d recommend a 7/7 sleep.”
Tour organisers are responsible for hotel bookings
The hotels for the teams are selected by the Tour organiser, ASO. Pogacar recently spent a night in an old hotel with no air conditioning. However, the problem was reportedly solved by portable air conditioning units brought along for the occasion and special cooling mattress toppers for the professional cyclists.
A heatwave is sweeping across central France. Temperatures are reaching as high as 40 degrees in parts of the Massif Central. On Sunday, during the 113th Tour de France, a stage was shortened due to the heat for the first time in the race’s history.
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