Cyclists competing in this year's Tour de France have faced relentless heat, with temperatures repeatedly reaching or exceeding 40°C during the first ten stages, forcing teams to deploy elaborate cooling strategies including ice vests, chilled gels, cold-water arm sleeves, and up to seven roadside cooling stations per stage. Race leader Tadej Pogačar and veteran rider John Degenkolb have both spoken out about the severity of the conditions, with Pogačar calling for the entire professional cycling calendar to be restructured to avoid racing in southern Europe during the peak summer months. A study published in the journal Nature found a marked increase in heat stress at Tour de France locations since 2015, and the UCI (cycling's global governing body) has introduced a wet-bulb temperature threshold of 28°C — a measure combining heat, humidity, wind and radiation — above which race officials must consider shortening stages or adjusting start times, as occurred on Stage 9 this year.