"Honestly? The hailstorm at the start of this Vuelta was less severe" - Extreme heat leads to shortened stage and rider complaints
CyclingSunday, 06 September 2026 at 11:31
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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- Haven’t seen many crowds lately and sorry but temperatures are certainly above average with 45.7 yesterday. Every degree starts to count above 36, 37 and each is a lot worse than the previous one. Security and health should definitely trump fans, especially for a free event. Should consider moving to a different part of the world if you live for cycling coming to your doorstep.Jumpyjohn06-09-2026
- Didn’t want but did and the opposite in the Vuelta, someone might have to start reviewing strategies.Jumpyjohn06-09-2026
- Hopefully with these kind of experiences, more people will start to think a bit deeper about all the exploited that have to work all day almost day in worse heat with no-one to feed or hydrate them. The deaths in the name of being on time for hosting mega sport events didn’t register on people’s consciousness very long, if at all. Is it a coincidence there’s quite a few connections between some of the sponsors in cycling and those events. Makes you wonder how much they’d be willing to pay to start a summer cycling league for has been cyclists, or is that only interesting with football?Jumpyjohn06-09-2026
- There is no right or wrong. Different strokes. He at least knows it because he allows eaxh to answer for themselves, is that what cycling wants? Obviously quite a few do because that’s how it is. Now, I’m not saying he doesn’t have a point but if you’re going to go down a path like that then how far are you willing to go? Will you also reconsider the financial inequalities and other problems precarious teams have to deal with, or the pressures they are under to survive, something none of the top tier teams really have to think about when planning a season?Jumpyjohn06-09-2026
- The number of participants is limited anyway. Before asking others to join the big races he should also be explaining who they should then be replacing who are taking part.Jumpyjohn06-09-2026
- An absolutely perfectly played out win by van Aert. The rest couldn’t attack him in any successful way and he was just that much stronger. It’s nice to see him back after that terrible 2024 crash. As fun as ever to watchRidesHills06-09-2026
- Janja has amazing mental strength.Hills3306-09-2026
- Greater depth to a race means that surprises (from the breakaway) are more possible. The favourites have to react more, so even if one of them still wins, the nature of the race could be different and more exciting
Rafionain-Glas06-09-2026 - Must be very disappointing. Here in Britain no-one gives a hoot about the Tour of Britain coming round.Rafionain-Glas06-09-2026
- Chasing points is very smart - given Pogacar is mostly the culprit that no 1 else can win any race
leedorney06-09-2026
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