Tour de France faces heatwave threat as early starts look unlikely

For the first time in its 123 year history, the Tour de France may have to seriously consider whether extreme heat could force major changes to a stage.

The 113th edition begins in Barcelona on Saturday, July 4, with another period of intense heat expected to develop across France during the opening week. Until now, no Tour stage has ever been cancelled specifically because of high temperatures.

Tour de France technical director Thierry Gouvenou acknowledged that the situation is receiving close attention.

“This is something that concerns us greatly,” Gouvenou told L’Équipe, pointing out that organisers have already experienced difficult periods of heat in May and June.

In previous years, the Tour has often avoided the most severe European heatwaves, which tended to arrive either before or after the race. The conditions expected in 2026 could make extreme heat a more immediate factor for riders, organisers and the thousands of people working along the route.

One proposed solution is to move stages forward by several hours.

Pascal Chanteur, president of the French professional cyclists’ union, has suggested starting at around 9am and finishing at approximately 2.30pm. That would allow riders to complete much of a stage before temperatures reach their afternoon peak.

Tour director Christian Prudhomme, however, says such a major change cannot be organised at short notice.

Around 28,000 police officers, firefighters and members of the gendarmerie are expected to be involved in securing the Tour. Road closures and access arrangements are authorised for specific times, meaning the race cannot simply rewrite its schedule when a hot forecast appears.

“You can cut 15 kilometres or start half an hour earlier,” Prudhomme told AFP. “But changes can only be made at the margins.”

Broadcasting is another complication. The Tour is an endurance event held on public roads and produced for live television. Moving stages deep into the morning or evening would affect security operations, television schedules, local authorities and the movement of the entire race infrastructure.

As Gouvenou explained, organisers often have only a small window in which to respond to changing conditions. Detailed Tour logistics are arranged months in advance, while reliable heat forecasts may only become available several days before a stage.

The UCI introduced its dedicated High Temperature Protocol in early 2024 to support race organisers in assessing heat related risks and making informed decisions. It complements the broader Extreme Weather Protocol, which has been in place since 2015.

The protocol was developed to create a more objective system for assessing heat related risk and to identify measures that can protect riders, teams, officials, volunteers and other people working at an event.

When dangerous conditions are expected, a meeting can be convened involving the president of the commissaires’ panel, the race director, the race doctor, the head of safety, team representatives, a riders’ representative and, when present, a UCI representative.

The group reviews the available weather information, estimates the WBGT level and considers the characteristics of the race. It can then recommend measures based on five risk categories.

The categories do not function as automatic instructions. A red classification does not necessarily mean that a race will be cancelled, just as an orange classification does not guarantee that it will continue unchanged.

The protocol provides a framework for discussion. Organisers and officials must still consider the route, the expected race speed, the time of day, the availability of shade, the location of medical services and the possibility of modifying the event safely.

In the green zone, the focus would remain on preparation around the Tour’s start area. Riders could warm up beside their team buses or in shaded spaces, using fans while limiting their exposure to direct sunlight. Teams would also continue with their normal hydration strategies and encourage riders to wear light coloured clothing where possible.

Yellow conditions would lead to more active cooling before and during the stage. Riders could use ice vests, cold towels and ice socks during their warm up, while teams would prepare individual hydration plans for each rider. The Tour organisation could also increase the amount of ice available at the start, in team vehicles and at designated feeding points along the route.

In the orange zone, the measures would become more visible across the race. Riders could be kept under tents or in shaded areas before the start, while additional protection would be provided for officials, volunteers and staff working for long periods in the sun. The Tour could deploy more neutral motorbikes carrying bottles and ice packs, open access to drinks from the opening kilometres and relax restrictions governing when riders can receive water or cooling supplies.

A red classification would allow the Tour to consider its most significant interventions. A stage could start slightly earlier, finish sooner, follow a shortened route or include a neutralised section. In the most serious circumstances, it could be cancelled entirely.

Given Prudhomme’s comments and the enormous logistical, commercial and sporting interests surrounding the Tour, however, cancellation remains highly unlikely. More radical changes, such as moving stages into the morning, appear to be a longer term possibility rather than an immediate solution.

There is some historical precedent elsewhere. The Vuelta a España experimented with morning starts during five stages in 2006, although the decision was driven primarily by television audiences rather than high temperatures. Those stages finished around lunchtime, but the format was not repeated in later editions.

For now, the Tour is preparing to respond day by day, hoping that ice, shade and additional drinks will be enough to prevent the heat from determining the outcome of the race.