MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Tour de France cyclists will have to deal with yet another day of sweltering temperatures as the race enters its fifth day. Here to tell us more about this is Andy McGrath. He's a freelance cycling journalist who's been published in The Athletic and The Guardian, among other outlets. He's been following the race from London. Andy, welcome. Thanks for joining us.
ANDY MCGRATH: Morning, Michel.
MARTIN: So what are you hearing from riders about the high temperatures? What are they saying?
MCGRATH: Well, I mean, they're daily doing hundred-mile races in these broiling conditions, and it's very unpleasant. One of the outsiders for the race, Tom Pidcock, said that he got through - it felt like he got through 10,000 water bottles, that it was like a war zone. He called it ridiculous and the hottest he'd ever raced in. I mean, there's some hyperbole there, but it's very clear that they're not happy, and it makes a hard sport even harder. There's another rider who used to be on the rider union who said that it's unhealthy. It's really time for us all to sit around the table and discuss how we handle this in the future.
MARTIN: So what about that? Have the organizers announced any changes to help these riders endure this extreme heat? What are - are they doing anything?
MCGRATH: There've been some minor changes. I mean, the sport's governing body, the UCI, has allowed feeding in more places than usual. Normally, there's feed zones. But it doesn't seem quite sufficient. The governing body have an extreme weather protocol for inclement or extreme weather they can invoke, and that runs a range, from shortening the route to canceling it altogether. There's never been a Tour de France stage canceled due to extreme heat. But frankly, I think with every passing year, we're heading closer to that reality.
MARTIN: I want to hear more about that in a minute. But before we talk about that, the wildfires in southern France have forced thousands to evacuate, and they also prompted a ban on spectators from one stage of the race. Why was that? Was it that bad on the course? I mean, was the smoke coming all the way through the course or what - was there another reason?
MCGRATH: So to be clear, the wildfires were about 40 miles from the race route. It was more a precautionary measure to allow access for emergency vehicles to the area, but it led to the very eerie spectacle of the tour entering its home country with next to no fans, no party atmosphere, no vibes, that kind of thing.
MARTIN: Yeah. So tell me more about what you were starting to tell me about the likelihood that this heat wave could force more changes, like shorter routes or rerouted stages or perhaps even cancellations. What's that conversation like?
MCGRATH: Well, the riders' union are in discussion with the sport's governing body, with the organizers, to, you know, try to come up with solutions. One would be to start stages earlier. They're currently habitually starting at around 12 noon, 1 p.m. and racing through the heat of the day. So a commonsense solution would be to start at maybe 9 in the morning. But then perhaps you wouldn't get so many fans, the economic boost that the tour provides to every town it passes through.
MARTIN: Wow. And before we let you go - only about 30 seconds here - is there a sense that this could affect the future of the tour, period? I mean, it doesn't seem like these kinds of intense waves of heat are going to stop occurring.
MCGRATH: No, no. This problem will only worsen every July. I mean, that's historically when the tour has always taken place. This is a huge sporting and cultural event in France and the world, but they may even have to consider moving date - you know, the drastic thing, changing it from July to September or even later.
MARTIN: All right.
MCGRATH: I think nothing's off the table.
MARTIN: That is freelance cycling journalist Andy McGrath. Thanks so much for joining us.
MCGRATH: Thank you.
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