Tour de France organisers express concerns: heat, forest fires, and a red alert could impact the race

The Tour de France starts in Barcelona this year and travels from Northern Spain to Southern France over the first five days. In the first week of July, you can set your clock by the fact that it will get hot. While the weather in Northern France was lovely for racing a year ago, it could get extremely hot at the start this year. And dangerous.

The weather forecast for the first few days of the Tour de France, which will take us from Barcelona through the Pyrenees and ultimately to Pau in southern France. “Extremely hot” is the summary, which could cause sever problems for the peloton. Though it doesn’t paint a realistic picture of what the riders will face on Day 1 in Barcelona. Mainly because the team time trial doesn’t start until 5:05 p.m.

Temperatures in the Spanish city were still above 30 degrees late Saturday afternoon, although the mercury did drop slightly as the evening approached. This is favorable for the late starters, who seem to have an advantage anyway. The wind, which was somewhat against the riders during Saturday’s team time trial, blowing from the south-southwest, was blowing slightly stronger at 5:00 p.m. than at 7:00 p.m.

In the second stage from Tarragona to Barcelona, ​​the wind along the coast will in principle play no role when it comes to echelons. It will blow only moderately from the south on Sunday, making it feel a bit warmer. The mercury will rise to 34 degrees, so it is advisable to apply plenty of sunscreen against the hot and strong sun.

Slightly further north in Catalonia, fierce wildfires are currently raging due to the persistent heat. "It is a major concern for us," says course director Thierry Gouvenou. The wildfires are burning just tens of kilometers from the finish of stage three: Les Angles.

In addition to the heat itself, the fires with their accompanying smoke development and the deployment of security services are also potential bottlenecks. "This is causing us great concern. It is not the first year we have had to deal with this problem of high temperatures, but this time it is even more urgent," says the Frenchman.

Gouvenou: 'Because we have just had two hot periods in France, first in May and then in June. We already have possible countermeasures we can take. In recent years we have expanded the areas where riders can drink. Moreover, we have been using motorcycles during stages for some time to bring cool drinks to the riders, especially to the leading group.'

Will that be enough? Take stage 4 from Carcassonne to Foix, which cuts through Occitanie: the region where it has been the hottest and driest in recent weeks. Weer Online warns of temperatures of 40 degrees locally, with a slight headwind from the northwest. We will also have a high temperature of 30 degrees on Wednesday, with start in Lannemazan and finish in Pau.

The French authorities recently enforced that the Tour de France must also follow the measures they are taking in case of 'code red'. This means that there may be adjustments or even cancellations in the coming days. After stage five the temperatures - as it looks now - will decrease.

"As an exceptional measure and in consultation with the organizer and all those involved, you may decide to cancel a stage when health or operational conditions no longer allow us to simultaneously guarantee the safety of spectators, staff and the continuity of emergency assistance to the population," the Ministry of the Interior informed those responsible in the relevant regions, according to L'Equipe.