Tour de France extends heat measures for stage five
The Tour de France will continue to apply additional heat measures during Wednesday’s fifth stage, as high temperatures remain a major concern for the peloton.
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The UCI and race organiser ASO had already adjusted the feeding rules for stage four by allowing teams to hand out musettes in areas that were originally reserved for bottles only.
That change made it easier for staff members to provide riders with several bottles at once and to help them stay hydrated during the hottest parts of the race.
Those measures will remain in place for stage five. In addition, the UCI and ASO have jointly decided to give teams wider access to supply riders with bottles along the route. Staff members will be allowed to hand out bidons from kilometre ten until the final ten kilometres of the stage.
Under normal race regulations, feeding is limited to specific zones, but those restrictions have been eased because of the extreme conditions.
The move is intended to give teams more flexibility as they try to protect riders from dehydration and heat stress on a day when temperatures are expected to approach 35 degrees Celsius.
The forecast suggests that the heat is unlikely to ease quickly, with very warm conditions expected to continue at least through Sunday.
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