Tour de France weather forecast: Scorching for first 5 days, bad news for early time trial starters

This year, the Tour de France starts in Barcelona and winds its way from northern Spain to southern France over the first five days. In the first week of July, you can bet it’s going to be hot. After the June heat wave that ravaged France, things aren’t about to get any easier for the Tour de France hopefuls.

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 shouldn’t really play a role when it comes to echelons. It will be blowing only moderately from the south on Sunday, which will make it feel a little warmer. Temperatures are set to rise to 34 degrees.

Even when we cross the border from Spain into France on Monday, it’s supposed to be very hot. Fortunately, there are climbs, and at 1,800 meters it’s only 26 degrees, with a nice breeze on the descents. Most of Monday’s stage will be completed above 1,000 meters, so that’s a plus.

That certainly doesn’t apply to Stage 4 from Carcassonne to Foix. Weather forecasters are warning of temperatures reaching 40 degrees in some areas, along with a light headwind from the northwest. Fortunately, the temperature will drop significantly starting Wednesday. We’ll see temperatures in the low 30s, with the stage starting in Lannemazan and finishing in Pau. Stage 5 is usually the first opportunity for a bunch sprint.