By: Evan Yang

Europe is currently experiencing an intense, dangerous heat wave. Some parts of England have reached record-breaking temperatures of up to 104. On the Tour de France, the world’s largest cycling race happening, many have already fallen to the heat.

The Tour de France is a multi-stage bicycle race that crosses all over France over 21 day-long stages. The cyclists race across public roads, which already carry their own dangers, but this year, the pavement is melting under extreme temperatures. The melting surfaces are a safety hazard on high-speed downhill slopes, sharp bends, and virtually every other part of the Tour de France.

Pierre-Yves Thouault, the Deputy Director of the Tour de France said “We have identified zones that, end to end, would be between 150 and 200 meters of what we call bleeding zones. That is where, because of the heat, the tar melts and makes slippery runs on the road.”

In an effort to combat this, organizers have started to spray water on the pavement. However, the water adds to the humidity in the air, which could induce heatstroke and exhaustion.

The Tour de France is, at its core, an endurance race. Increased temperatures have caused cyclists like Alexis Vuillermoz to drop out. He collapsed in the Alps and was treated for heatstroke and taken to a hospital. To combat the heat, racers are wearing cooling vests and using cold foot baths to cool their temperatures before the race. Some, like Tom Pidcock, have even jumped into fountains to cool down.