It’s crazy hot in parts of Europe right now, and it’s definitely affecting the various national championships going on this weekend.
Organizers of the French road championships have trimmed the elite men’s race after extreme heat forecasts in La Tour-du-Pin, Auvergne. The pros will now complete one fewer lap, reducing the distance from 241.8km to 225.5km. The start has been pushed from 11:22 a.mm to 11:35 a.m., according to L’Équipe.
Temperatures are expected to reach 35C across the demanding 13-lap circuit, which still totals 3,206 metres of climbing. Defending champion Dorian Godon will be there, along with favourites Romain Grégoire and Benoît Cosnefroy.
Real scorchers in Europe
The move comes amid soaring temperatures in Europe. Belgian Cycling is preparing for extreme heat at this weekend’s national championships. France’s neighbour is expecting similar forecasts pointing toward temperatures close to 35C and organizers adding extra cooling measures across events.
“We have an emergency committee within the federation, including the federal doctor and local authorities, which is activated in emergency situations. That can be very different from case to case, but this is a heat protocol,” Belgian Cycling’s Massimo Van Lancker said to WielerFlits.
Modifications in Belgium
For Friday’s TT, they added a bit of a rarity in that discipline. There was a feeding zone where riders can take on water or ice. Orgs even considered a sprinkler zone at one point.
Despite the conditions, there was no plan to shorten races.
“You should know that drawing up that timetable was a feat anyway,” Van Lancker said. “Logistically, it is not an issue to postpone everything, because you have to check with police zones, local authorities and organizations.”
Hot gravel summer
These changes also come in the wake of the 2026 Canadian gravel championships being cancelled for several categories, including the elite men’s and women’s events, even though some riders finished.
The race was officially cancelled around halfway through for them after extreme heat created logistical problems. Race director Jon Watkin said many riders across multiple categories were suffering from heat-related issues and, “Medical teams reached capacity while responding to multiple incidents and could no longer guarantee safe response times in the very remote areas of the course.”
The Canadian road championships conclude on Sunday with the criteriums. Thankfully, the weather gods have delivered some proper Beauce conditions — plenty of rain, but no extreme heat.