Tadej Pogacar has called for a radical overhaul of the professional cycling calendar after another day of stifling temperatures at the Tour de France, as Mathieu van der Poel won the shortened ninth stage from Malemort to Ussel. Tom Pidcock finished third.
Pogacar's Proposal for Earlier Start Times
“If I had the power I would change all the calendar and not race in July and August in hot places,” Pogacar said. “I’d do a completely different calendar, but it’s not something I can do.” The Slovenian, a four-time Tour winner, suggested starting stages earlier: “Maybe the next step is to start the stages earlier. Yesterday there was a proposal to start at 10, but it doesn’t change anything because then you finish in the heat. You need to start at eight or nine, or even before. It’s a little bit shit, but I think the body can adapt to waking up at five o’clock in the morning and doing a stage at eight. But I think I’ve said enough.”
Stage Nine Shortened Due to Heatwave
The undulating stage to Ussel, featuring three steep climbs in the final 80 kilometres and almost 2,700 metres of altitude gain, was shortened because of the heatwave. Despite the reduction, the ferocious pace and unrelenting contours had dramatic repercussions for some riders. Pidcock, racing for Pinarello-Q36.5, was one of the key animators of a 15-rider breakaway that included Van der Poel. “I was going super-well today,” Pidcock said. “I had really good legs and was feeling really strong. ... But my gears stopped working, and I was out the back of the group on the last climb. When I got to the sprint I was hopeless. So it’s a shame, but I don’t think I would have come around Mathieu anyway. He’s very hard to beat in those situations, but at least I was there, sprinting for the win.”
Rider Cooling Measures and Concerns
Beyond the finish line, riders dropped their bikes and plunged into ice baths in team vans. Some teams used paddling pools and tin baths to reduce core temperatures. At Paul Seixas’s Decathlon CMA CGM team, a portable cryotherapy unit cooled riders after each stage. “You sit in a capsule at minus 120 degrees for about three minutes,” Tiesj Benoot said. “It’s even more intense than an ice bath.”
The Professional Cyclists Association (CPA) argued more needed to be done to protect rider wellbeing. “This once again highlights the need to fully implement the extreme weather conditions protocol,” the CPA said. The association echoed Pogacar, stating that “summer race start times must evolve in order to protect athlete health” and called for discussions with all stakeholders during the winter to find a solution before summer 2027.
Mixed Reactions to Stage Shortening
Benoot felt shortening the stage did not make much difference. “It’s 40 minutes’ less racing, but we’ve already been riding in this same heat for eight days,” he said. “I get the feeling ASO wants to make a statement, but other measures would benefit us more.” Tour director Christian Prudhomme said an earlier start was not possible for logistical reasons. “Waking the riders up at 5am is pretty difficult, even if that’s already happening, for anti-doping controls,” he said.
The rest day on Monday offers some respite, but with temperatures predicted to stay in the high 30s Celsius into midweek, it provides little comfort for those already suffering.
