Cycle easy, eat a lot and escape the scorching heat in France with up to 40 degrees as best as possible – the 151 remaining professional cyclists (of originally 176) in the Tour de France all had the same daily routine on the last rest day in Carcassonne yesterday. It was the calm before the storm that can now be expected on the three difficult stages in the Pyrenees, before a bumpy 40-kilometer time trial will finally decide who wins the Tour on Saturday.
Above all, the high temperatures for days are causing problems for the drivers. “Nobody likes driving for five hours in 40-degree heat. I don’t think that’s healthy either,” says defending champion Tadej Pogacar, who is second and has 2:22 minutes to catch up with the man in yellow, Jonas Vingegaard.
Austria’s state champion Felix Großschartner is also not a fan of these weather conditions. “It’s hell, the air is extremely dry, on Sunday I even got a nosebleed during the stage,” says Marchtrenker from the Bora team. But the upcoming terrain suits him better. Before mountain finishes await on Wednesday and Thursday, today there is a no less easy overture from Carcassonne to Foix over four mountain classifications. From the Mur de Peguere, a long, winding descent leads towards the finish.
Tour of Austria new?
The Tour of Austria was canceled for the third time in a row this year, and now there are apparently new attempts to revive the classic for the coming year. Thomas Kofler (Manager Team Vorarlberg) and Thomas Pupp (Manager Team Tirol) as well as the head of the association met in Salzburg for initial talks. (free)
Source: Nachrichten
