Special envoy to Issoire
36 degrees in the air and almost 42 degrees felt on the hot asphalt this Tuesday towards Issoire! The peloton suffered a lot from the heat during the 167.2 km of very uneven terrain. This did not prevent the riders from attacking at all costs and drawing up a crazy stage with many twists and turns the day after a day’s rest.
On Monday, David Gaudu had also warned of the risks of seeing the peloton display a hell of a train after resting. The Breton had seen correctly for his greatest misfortune. In great difficulty from the first difficulties of the day, the leader of Groupama-FDJ benefited from enormous support from his teammates to make his return among the favourites. “I had heatstroke. It was the day after a day of rest which I am not a fan of, just like the heat”, admitted the 4th of the Tour 2022, visibly worn.
“David had a tough start. The heat was overwhelming, recognized Marc Madiot, the boss of the French formation remaining optimistic for the future. It is not because there are difficult times that we are going to lower our ambitions, ”he insisted.
A few meters away, Warren Barguil showed a relaxed and rested face after rushing into the shower on the bus. “She was lukewarm because of the heat,” the Frenchman managed to joke. “It was really difficult with a lot of heat,” added the 31-year-old climber from the Arkéa-Samsic team, an excellent 9th in the stage.
Barguil is one of those who have weathered the rise in temperatures well thanks to cooling vests and good hydration throughout the day. Some paddock teams distributed between 15 and 20 cans per rider for only four hours of racing. So many liters of water flown away while sweating. “I haven’t counted the liters swallowed,” joked Jasper Philipsen who was eagerly awaited on Wednesday in a stage cut out for sprinters.
He may come from Denmark, Jonas Vingegaard is also one of the favorites who took this peak in temperature particularly well, unlike Romain Bardet, on his land, who exposed like a popcorn from the first ascent. “It’s true, it was hot but I got through the high temperatures fairly well. I was happy with this heat, ”detailed the winner of the 2022 Tour with a little marked face.
Tadej Pogacar, second in the general classification, also had a smooth day, accustomed to hot weather, especially when his team goes on training in Spain at the start of the season. “It feels like the rest day was a long time ago,” joked the Slovenian who will have well deserved a stint in an ice bath. The white jersey likes to spend a minute in the cold to help recover. Wednesday, the peloton should breathe a little with a stage without difficulty between Clermont-Ferrand and Moulin with much milder temperatures, thunderstorms are expected overnight in the region.
