Pogacar calls for calendar changes amid heatwave
Tadej Pogacar, a four-time Tour de France winner, has called for significant changes to the professional cycling calendar. His comments follow a day of intense temperatures during the ninth stage of the race. Pogacar suggested that if he had the authority, he would alter the calendar to avoid racing in July and August in hot regions.
The Slovenian rider also proposed earlier stage starts. He noted that a proposal for a 10 AM start on a previous day would not sufficiently address the heat, as riders would still finish in high temperatures. Instead, he suggested starting stages at 8 AM or 9 AM, or even earlier, acknowledging that bodies could adapt to waking up at 5 AM for an 8 AM stage.
The Professional Cyclists Association (CPA) echoed Pogacar’s sentiments, emphasizing the need to fully implement extreme weather conditions protocols. The CPA stated that summer race start times must evolve to protect athlete health and called for discussions with all stakeholders during the winter to find a solution before the summer of 2027.
Van der Poel secures stage victory
In the ninth stage of the Tour de France, Mathieu van der Poel claimed victory in a sprint finish. The stage, which ran from Malemort to Ussel, was shortened by approximately 18 miles due to extreme heat. Van der Poel, riding for Alpecin-Premier Tech, accelerated with about 650 feet remaining to secure his third career Tour stage win.
Tom Pidcock of Pinarello-Q36.5 finished third, despite experiencing issues with his gears on the final climb. Tobias Johannessen of Uno-X Mobility placed second. All three riders were timed at 3 hours, 27 minutes, 51 seconds.
Van der Poel described the start of the Tour as brutally hot, noting that the heat had sapped his strength and affected his recovery in the initial days. He felt that the ninth stage was the first time he had the necessary energy to compete for a win. Van der Poel’s maternal grandfather was French cyclist Raymond Poulidor, a celebrated figure in French cycling history.
Overall standings and heat impact
Despite the challenging conditions, defending champion Tadej Pogacar maintained his overall lead, retaining the yellow jersey. He finished six seconds behind Van der Poel in a group that included his main rival, two-time champion Jonas Vingegaard. Pogacar’s teammate, Isaac del Toro, holds third place overall.
The undulating stage to Ussel featured three steep climbs in the final 80 kilometers and nearly 2,700 meters of altitude gain. The intense pace and terrain had significant effects on some riders in the peloton. Many riders, upon reaching the finish line, immediately sought ice baths in team vans or used paddling pools and tin baths to reduce their core temperatures.
Some teams, like Paul Seixas’s Decathlon CMA CGM team, are utilizing portable cryotherapy units to aid rider recovery by lowering body temperature and promoting sleep. Tiesj Benoot, a teammate of Seixas, described sitting in a capsule at minus 120 degrees for about three minutes, finding it even more intense than an ice bath.
The shortening of the stage to Ussel was intended to mitigate the effects of the heatwave, but some riders, including Benoot, felt it made little difference, as they had already been racing in similar heat for eight days. The Tour director, Christian Prudhomme, stated that an earlier start for the Ussel stage was not logistically feasible. The race will have a rest day on Monday, offering some respite, but temperatures are predicted to remain high into the middle of next week.
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Source: theguardian.com
