环法高温酿安全隐患 车手质疑赛事责任

SAINT-GAUDENS, France — On Monday morning, the Tour de France's media-wranglers sent us all a text announcing something genuinely shocking for such a French organization: They had banned smoking.

The ASO said nobody could smoke in the TV areas "in order to combat fire risks," as that day's racing finished 60 kilometers west of the Trévillach wildfire, which has forced over 12,000 people to evacuate their homes. That day, the race entered France to 44 kilometers of quiet roads after organizers and local politicians told fans to stay away. The next day was the hottest day of racing in the recorded history of the Tour.

The smoking ban may have been primarily about avoiding the queasy optics of a ponytailed TV rigman ripping a cigarette on a day with restricted access, though it's a decent metaphor for the impossible future facing the Tour de France. This year's race is taking place under furnace-like conditions that can't fairly be characterized as extreme any longer. The French countryside is not getting any less combustible. The sun is not abating. There's nothing the Tour can do but manage the effects. The show must go on; the show can't go on. How will the Tour de France adapt to a world on fire? Is that even possible?

It was clear this year's race would be affected by the brutal heat before Stage 1 even started. NetCompany-Ineos set up tubs of ice for their riders to dunk their arms in ahead of the time trial, while Alpecin had their riders go to town on frozen carbohydrate gels. That was in Barcelona, when it was in the relatively balmy low 90s. Rumors flew through the press room about the truncation or cancelation of the stages to come, but the Tour went on untouched. By Tuesday, with the race rolling through the Pyrenean foothills, it was pushing 100 degrees, where it will stay through the weekend. Fans were blasted with a firehose at the finish line in Foix. NBC measured the pavement temperature north of 140 °F. EF sports director Charly Wegelius told me he hasn't worn socks since the race started. Most riders are barely poking their heads out of air-conditioned team buses in the mornings, while the AC on Visma's bus broke.

I can't blame them. Not only is core temperature management critical for performance, riding in the heat is dangerous. Elisa Longo Borghini suffered heatstroke during the recent Tour de Suisse, and riders at the Tour are beginning to grumble. "Five years ago, it was definitely totally different than what we have now," Tadej Pogacar said at his yellow jersey presser on Monday when asked about the heat. His mom came to watch the stage that day, but she had to stay away. The next day, he had a "full headache" and willingly surrendered the yellow jersey. "I don't know if it's safe, but it's not healthy at all,” said Tudor's Matteo Trentin. Is it responsible to race in conditions like this? "No, it's not," he said when asked. "If I was just a normal guy, I wouldn't go out at this time of day."

I am a normal guy, and I was the