Vuelta takes measures against extreme heat for stages 14 and 15

The decision was communicated by the race jury following stage 13, where temperatures approached 40°C on the road to Loja and several riders voiced concerns about the conditions.

Under the exceptional measure, teams will be allowed to distribute musettes along the road and from team cars throughout the stage, from the start all the way to the finish. The change is designed to make it easier for teams to provide several bottles to riders at once and help them stay hydrated in the severe heat.

Feeding from team cars will still be prohibited inside the official feeding zones marked by the organiser, in accordance with UCI rule 2.3.025 bis.

“This exceptional measure is intended to facilitate the simultaneous distribution of multiple water bottles to each rider, thereby ensuring adequate hydration under the anticipated weather conditions,” the Panel of Commissaires stated in its jury report.

The measure will apply only to stages 14 and 15 for now. Any extension to later stages will depend on the weather and on how teams implement the procedure over the weekend.

The intervention comes after growing concern inside the peloton about the temperatures encountered in Andalusia.

Race leader Enric Mas warned after stage 13 that the conditions were approaching a point where further action might be required.

“It’s extremely hot,” Mas said in his post stage press conference. “At certain points during the stage, it felt strange. We were travelling at high speed, yet it still felt very hot. That’s something that rarely happens when there’s a bit of a breeze.”

The Movistar rider added that there was a limit to what the peloton could safely endure.

“If it gets any hotter than this, we’ll surely have to hold a meeting, because it would be dangerous to set off like this.”

Mas was not alone in feeling the effects.

Jarno Widar gave an even more graphic assessment immediately after the finish, saying simply: “I am completely overcooked.”

The Belgian compared the strain of racing in the Spanish heat with the kind of effort an amateur rider might normally experience in much milder conditions.

“I won’t say amateur cyclists do the same at normal temperatures, but it’s not far off it,” Widar said.

Urko Berrade, who spent much of stage 13 in the large breakaway, also described the constant battle to keep his body temperature under control. Being ahead of the peloton made it easier to collect bottles and ice from the team car, but even that brought only temporary relief.

“I was just constantly pouring water and ice over myself, but you don’t even know what to do anymore because every five minutes you start to overheat again and it’s back to square one,” Berrade told Eurosport.

There is little respite expected over the weekend. Saturday’s stage from Jaén to the summit finish at Sierra de la Pandera is again expected to take place in temperatures approaching 40°C, while even hotter conditions are forecast for Sunday’s stage from Palma del Río to Córdoba, with temperatures potentially reaching 41°C.

The Vuelta is not the first Grand Tour to alter its procedures because of extreme heat this season.

During July’s Tour de France, the UCI introduced a similar temporary relaxation of feeding rules to make it easier for teams to hand multiple bottles to riders. The Tour was later forced to shorten stage 9 to Ussel by 30 kilometres after a red heat alert was issued in the Corrèze department.

For the moment, the Vuelta jury has stopped short of changes to the routes or start times, instead focusing on giving riders greater access to water.

With temperatures set to remain severe across the weekend, however, the commissaires have made clear that the situation will continue to be assessed.