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Lance Armstrong criticizes Tour de France being raced in brutal heat: "I don't care what the UCI says, it's inhumane"
CyclingMonday, 01 July 2024 at 01:17
Temperatures on the road this Saturday reached as high as 40 degrees in the blazing Italian sun, and many riders felt the difficulties on stage 1. Lance Armstrong is against the race being ran without change in such conditions and have criticized Tour de France organizers for not having implemented changes.
"That's not healthy, it's inhumane. May I remind everyone that the Tour de France is the toughest sporting event in the world? In Saturday's stage, it was almost forty degrees for the first time this season," Armstrong said in The Move podcast. "The riders simply can't drink enough to maintain their fluid balance. You expect two hundred riders to participate in the next three weeks with almost chronic dehydration in - I'll say it again - the toughest sporting event in the world. That's not healthy. I don't care what the UCI says, it's inhumane. There has to be another way.”
Michele Gazzoli, the first rider to abandon the race, suffered from gastrointestinal problems because of a heatstroke. Mark Cavendish looked to be suffering from the same early in the day, and a few riders fell out of contention for the stage or GC in unexpected ways likely due to this situation unfolding. The weather is expected to be just as hot this Sunday, but the stage will not include such long climbs where riders will spend a long time at slow speed in the sun.
Armstrong also believes the dehydration from riders may see the do intravenous therapy, which involves needles, and he shares his opinion on the matter: “I understand that I am now on thin ice when it comes to this subject, but I don’t care. The ‘no needle policy’ means that you are not allowed to use cortisone if you suffer from tendonitis in your knee. Just like you are not allowed to combat dehydration with intravenous therapy, after a scorching hot stage like Saturday’s.”
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