Cycling
How do riders at the Tour de France manage the heat?
With record-breaking high temperatures sweeping across Europe this summer, here's how the pro peloton are having to pull out all the stops to manage racing in the heat.
Heat management is the new frontier of cycling performance. Get it wrong, and riders risk blowing up, losing time, and potentially not even finishing the Tour de France. But, if managed correctly, riders can continue to perform at the highest level whilst their rivals suffer. As temperatures soar, we take a look at how Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe and the rest of the teams manage the demands of racing in extreme heat.
01
How does heat impact bike racing?
With temperatures often soaring beyond 40 degrees Celsius, this year's Tour de France has become as much a test of survival as strength. Road surfaces become hot enough to radiate heat back at the riders – or even start to melt – meaning the peloton is suffering more than ever. Stages have been shortened under the UCI's Extreme Weather Protocol, organisers have increased opportunities for riders to collect bottles, and riders have openly questioned whether the sport's traditional July calendar remains sustainable in an ever-warming global climate.
Cycling in the shade - it's been a red-hot start to the Tour de France
© Maximilian Fries/Red Bull Content Pool
During stage three, which saw riders race 195km from Granollers to Les Angles, temperatures were recorded as averaging 32.4 degrees Celsius - topping out at 36 degrees Celsius - and that’s not even factoring in the real feel inside the peloton with heat radiating off the tarmac and the race effort taking its toll. Before the stage, Tudor Pro Cycling’s Italian veteran, Matteo Trentin, told reporters at Wielerfiets "It’s for sure not healthy. I don’t know if it’s safe, but it’s for sure not healthy at all."
Racing the Tour de France already pushes the rider’s bodies close to their physiological limits. Grand Tour riders routinely produce between 300 and 400 watts - or even more in some cases - for hours at a time. However, only a small percentage of that energy generated actually goes into propelling the bike forwards. The rest becomes heat inside the body that must be dissipated through sweating and increased blood flow to the skin. When external temperatures climb into the high 30s or beyond, that natural cooling system begins to struggle.
Instead of simply fuelling muscles, the rider’s system is forced to split its workload between delivering oxygen to the legs and transporting heat away from the body. Heart rate rises, sweat loss accelerates, and dehydration becomes a serious performance limiter. As core temperature rises, power output naturally falls as the body protects itself from dangerous overheating.
Jai Hindley rides beside the scorched landscape in France
© Maximilian Fries/Red Bull Content Pool
At the sharp end of the Tour, where podium places are often separated by seconds rather than minutes, even a one percent drop in performance can decide the yellow jersey.
After stage three, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe’s Dutch rouleur Tim van Dijke described it as feeling “like I’ve been in the sauna all day”.
Watch the video below to see how Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe riders have been battling the heat.
02
How do riders manage the heat?
A portion of the pre-race briefing is dedicated to the weather report, highlighting the significance of the high temperatures and importance of cooling to the riders. Using a detailed map, riders can see the temperatures throughout the course of the stage. “It was impossible to find a more red red," said Patxi Villa, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe’s trusted sports director, when describing the colour-coded temperature map, which shows just how excessive these current temperatures are.
Ice vests, slushies, gels
Cooling during the Tour de France is a constant battle - one that begins before the racing even starts. Ice vests have become a familiar sight before hot stages and are worn during warm-ups and while waiting for the start. They lower skin temperature and help reduce a rider’s core temperature before the racing even begins.
Florian Lipowitz rides under blue skies and searing temperatures
© Maximilian Fries/Red Bull Content Pool
It was impossible to find a more red red
Many riders also consume frozen "slushie" style drinks, which cool the body from the inside while providing hydration and some carbohydrates. Scientific studies have shown that lowering core temperature before exercise allows athletes to tolerate heat for longer before fatigue sets in, making pre-cooling one of the most effective strategies available for managing the heat.
Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe’s soigneur Jacques Horn explained the measures the team take before the start of a race to keep their body temperature as low as possible:
“Extra cold drinks, ice socks, ice gels, the guys will wear some ice jackets before the start to try and keep the body as cold as possible for as long as possible."
Once the flag drops, staying cool becomes a moving operation.
One of the most recognisable images of modern racing is the "ice sock" – a simple stocking filled with crushed ice and tucked beneath a rider's jersey. Positioned along the spine, the melting ice cools blood flowing close to the skin before it circulates around the body, helping manage the temperature of the rider.
There's not much respite up in the mountains either
© Maximilian Fries/Red Bull Content Pool
A cold shower in a bottle
Team soigneurs hand riders multiple bottles throughout the day, but not every bottle is filled with a high carb mix for fuelling. Some are simply iced water that riders will squeeze directly over their heads, necks, shoulders, chest, and legs.
Pinarello - Q36.5’s British superstar Tom Pidcock finished 16th on stage three, just 18 seconds behind the winner Tadej Pogačar. “It was like a war zone. I think we went through about 10,000 bidons today as a peloton,” he told reporters after the finish line.
This constant dousing with water does come with side effects that extend beyond the race finish. Spending hours a day soaking wet leaves riders having to look after their clothing as much as their bodies. EF Education-Easypost sports director, Tom Southam, described the sight in the hotel corridors after a particularly hot day at the Tour:
“All the shoes stink because they’re constantly wet all day. If you go around the hotel now, outside every room are shoes drying because riders are just pouring, pouring, pouring water over themselves to try and cool down”
Soigneurs and sports scientists play a key role
Meanwhile, soigneurs wait at designated feed zones armed with musettes packed with carbohydrate-rich food, electrolyte drinks and fresh ice supplies. This choreography has become increasingly important as temperatures continue to rise, with organisers increasing feeding opportunities during the hottest stages.
The thing is, everybody loses a different amount of sodium in their sweat
A rider can lose several litres of sweat during a hot mountain stage, but replacing that fluid isn't as simple as grabbing another bottle of water. Sweat contains sodium, potassium and other electrolytes essential for muscle contraction and nerve function. Lose too much without replacing them and cramping, fatigue and declining power soon follow.
Modern WorldTour teams create personalised hydration strategies based on sweat testing carried out throughout the season.
Chris Harris - a sports scientist with WorldTour nutrition supplier Precision Fuel & Hydration - has seen a broad range of athletes lose vastly different quantities of electrolytes when sweating:
“The thing is, everybody loses a different amount of sodium in their sweat. Some people lose as little as 200-300mg per litre of sweat, and some people lose up to 2000mg per litre. So a one-size-fits-all approach just doesn’t cut it.”
Team nutritionists calculate exactly how much fluid and electrolyte replacement each rider is likely to need depending on the expected temperature, humidity and stage profile.
Mattia Cattaneo takes on some much-needed hydration and nutrients
© Maximilian Fries/Red Bull Content Pool
Ice baths are now standard practice for many teams, rapidly lowering body temperature before riders begin refuelling. Air-conditioned buses provide immediate relief from the heat, while cooling blankets, cold towels and climate-controlled hotel rooms help maintain lower core temperatures throughout the evening.
Some teams have even introduced cooling mattresses and sophisticated sleep systems designed to help riders recover despite exceptionally warm nights, when the body struggles to shed heat naturally. Samuel Fisser, Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe’s team doctor, describes the importance of this recovery:
“It’s getting hotter and hotter every year. We focus a lot on cooling and sleep quality, because if they sleep well they’re definitely less likely to become sick.”
Extreme heat is no longer an occasional obstacle at the Tour de France – it is becoming a defining feature of modern racing.
The Tour has always rewarded those who adapt fastest. But, in 2026, adaptation isn't just about tactics or training; it's about staying cool when the world's biggest bike race is hotter than ever before.
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