"Honestly? The hailstorm at the start of this Vuelta was less severe" - Extreme heat leads to shortened stage and rider complaints
Cycling
The Vuelta a Espana is feeling the heat this weekend as Sunday's stage 15 was shortened due to extreme heat in the south of Spain. The extreme weather protocol led organisers to announce that Sunday's route would be reduced from 189 to 110 kilometers.
With temperatures swelling and a climbing-heavy parcours, riders have expressed concerns about the heat leading to the decision to curtail Sunday's stage. With the conditions likened to riding in a sauna by one rider, Gianni Vermeersch feels that shortening the stage isn't the answer.
From the extreme hail storm that impacted stage 3, leading to the cancelling of the stage, the heat has now taken hold as temperatures soar to 40 degrees on Sunday afternoon during the stage - making it difficult for riders to keep cool and manage their core temperature in the midst of racing.
“I trained in Spain for a month for this Vuelta. But I have already suffered quite a bit. During training you can stop occasionally, and your body temperature drops for a moment, but when you have to race for four or five hours straight, that is really tough," Vermeersch told Het Nieuwsblad.
Enric Mas has also noted the extreme Vuelta a España heat
Vermeersch thinks hail storm wasn't as severe as heat
"Honestly? The hailstorm at the start of this Vuelta was less severe than these conditions.”
Pointing to the fact that the race may not be as long, he claimed that shortened stage leads to a more intense effort as riders and teams try to capitalise on the shortening.
He added: “It is always difficult to deal with the heat properly, but if you shorten the race, people sometimes just race even harder. Which doesn't make it any better. Best of all would be if the riders agreed among themselves to take it a bit easier, but that isn't going to happen either."
De Pestel compares heat to a sauna
Decathlon CMA CGM rider Sander de Pestel noted that a recent stage started fine before the heat became unbearable, noting the riders' moves to shorten stages in the midst of the heat.
“At the start, it wasn't too bad. It was damp, but we are used to that. The last two hours, on the other hand… every descent we took felt like we were driving into a new brand of saunas. It was really insane.
“The riders’ union had already looked into whether it was possible to shorten today’s and tomorrow’s stages. But ultimately, we received the message that nothing would change today [Saturday, Ed.], because it would be warmer tomorrow than today. I find that a bit of a strange remark."
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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