
Away from all the chaos of the Tour de Suisse, several races will be taking place today. Riders will be competing at the Tour of Slovenia, Baloise Belgium Tour and La Route d'Occitanie. However, in the latter the riders will only be racing through 32 kilometers due to concerns over the extreme heat.
Race organizers have confirmed last night that stage two had been cut due to the concerns. The region of the Pyrenees has been suffering from a heat wave that has struck through much of Europe, and with temperatures reaching as high as 37º celsius this afternoon in southern France, it would put the peloton under severe risk of health problems.
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The organizers have found a way to still carry the race onwards, with a short 32-kilometer route that will have the finale in Roquefort-en-Aveyron. It will be a short day of racing, however an explosive one as it features a sequence of hills towards the finale. Arnaud Démare won the opening stage of the race and will be setting off to try and defend his lead, a difficult task.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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- He lives in Monaco
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - It's also highly significant for Lorenzo Finn as he won there last year. Also Mateo Ramírez and Henrique Bravo if they go
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - This is a phenomenal course design. I do wish that they'd stretch these tours for the women to at least 2 weeks.RidesHills03-11-2026
- This is an amazing route, honestly. Let's hope that it attracts riders to make it a compelling and competitive race. Side bar amusement: going to Slovenia and passing pretty close to Pogačar's house. I wonder if they were tempting him to get all 3 jerseys at once after winning the Tour and Vuelta. After all, only a very few have ever had all three at the same time (Froome being the last).RidesHills03-11-2026
- He was a child two years ago
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - A great route aswell. Col d'Arpy is a toughie
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - Let Torito have a shot at it
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - A great route, much more exciting than the Tour de France. Monte Livata is an interesting one, because they experimented with it at the 2026 Baby Giro, and it was fantastic. 4 km at 10%, then 10 km at 6.5% made for a great spectacle. The stage 16 is horrible. Montaner is also used in the U23s, in Giro del Belvedere
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - I remember when Mark went through that. He was really experiencing lows and thought about quiting many times. It took him a long time to recover. I, like many others were overjoyed when he came back. I hope Lafay has been tested. I wish him the best.Paggss03-11-2026
- That sucks for him. I've always wondered what guys like him do after retiring from cycling - go back to uni? He's still a very young manCrashjames03-11-2026
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⚠️ Communiqué à propos de l'étape 2 ⤵️ #RDO2022
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