By: Brad Chen

The Tour de France, one of the greatest biking spectacles of all time, is beginning to face some major challenges due to the changing climate.

The race and its cyclists are suffering to the brutal heat wave that has been felt all over Europe, making the already intense sport become an even more brutal test of a human’s absolute limit.

This historic heat wave in Europe has in some cases bumped up the temperature by 20 degrees compared to last year and has caused an all-time temperature high of 104 degrees. The severity of this situation was shown when organizers began to spray down roads with water to keep them from melting.

The competitors are taking the biggest blows, as the risk of heat stroke is dangerously high. Some races even taking measures such as strapping IC vests to themselves and drinking incredible amounts of water just to survive.

Romain Bardet was asked if he had ever experienced this kind of heat before, and he responded: “Not at the Tour”.

“I don’t think this is healthy. Maybe the organization has to do something when the temperatures are so extremely high,” the Netherlands’ Steven Kruijswijk stated.

France’s Alexis Vuillermoz had an even tougher time, as he vomited and collapsed due to heatstroke, later being transported to a hospital. He had to give up his chance at the race because he had a fever and a skin infection that required surgery.

For now, it looks like competitors will just have to hang on as the Tour de France gets harder each year.