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Stage 2 — a Tour de Furnace
Temperatures surged into the high 90s on Sunday as searing summer heat took a grip on the peloton at the Tour de France.
Riders sprinted for the line into Brignole with extra intensity Sunday because it seemed like they just wanted a cold drink and some shade.
“It was brutal heat out there. I couldn’t get enough drinks down,” said Cervélo’s Heinrich Haussler. “I was getting goose bumps with so much heat. I was almost feeling cold.”
Riders were taking extra precautions not to become dehydrated so early in the Tour. Alberto Contador (Astana), second in the opening time trial Saturday in Monaco, said he felt the heat despite used to the sweltering summer temperatures in his native Spain.
“The temperature is becoming a real problem. Ten minutes after the stage had finished and I was still sweating and drinking lots of water,” Contador said after finishing safely in the pack. “I believe that I drank at least five liters during the stage.”
Race leader Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) said he suffers more than most thanks to his larger frame.
“It was very hot today. That made all the peloton struggle a bit; that’s normal with this heat. Now I will try to cool down, get a massage and recover for tomorrow,” he said after retaining the yellow jersey. “I have a little extra weight that others don’t have so it makes it a little rough for me.”
Heat and the troubles it brings could become even more acute during this year’s Tour, starting along France’s Cote d’Azur for the first time since the 1980s.
The Tour typically steers clear of the popular summer holiday destination to avoid traffic problems, but the summer heat that’s typical of France’s south is also a concern. Tour officials tend to begin the race in the northern half of the country, where temperatures generally tend to be less intense.
And forecasters are calling for more of the same, with temperatures remaining in the low to mid-90s along with brisk 30-40kph winds going into Tuesday’s decisive team time trial stage at Montpellier.
Ironically, things might cool down when the Tour turns into Spain later this week, which has been recently experiencing a heat wave, with temperatures over 100F all last week. But rain forecast later this week should cool things off into the low 80s in time for the Tour’s arrival to Barcelona on Friday.
