Tadej Pogacar and UAE left sweating through Tour de France rest day as hotel air conditioning reportedly knocks out power
Cycling
The heatwave sweeping across France has already taken a visible toll on the riders during the 2026 Tour de France. Now, Tadej Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates – XRG are reportedly dealing with the effects away from the road as well.
According to Spanish journalist Sergi Lopez-Egea, UAE are staying in a hotel where the air-conditioning system has struggled to cope with the extreme temperatures.
When several rooms attempt to use the system at the same time, the electrical installation reportedly trips and causes power cuts.
It is an awkward problem for the dominant team of the opening week, particularly with the Tour moving into its second block of racing and temperatures having climbed well beyond 35 degrees on several stages.
UAE recovery disrupted during Tour de France heatwave
Recovery is tightly controlled during any Grand Tour, with sleep, hydration and body temperature all closely monitored after each stage. Excessively warm rooms are hardly ideal for riders attempting to recover from hours of racing in severe heat.
Pogacar and his teammates were pictured heading out for a training ride on Monday’s first rest day, while the hotel situation added an unexpected complication to an otherwise commanding start to the race.
The Slovenian enters the second week in the yellow jersey after putting significant time into Jonas Vingegaard on the Tourmalet. UAE have also dictated much of the racing through the opening nine stages, with Isaac del Toro sitting third overall and playing a central role in Pogacar’s strongest performances.
Their control on the road has not prevented conditions from creating problems elsewhere. Stage 9 was shortened by around 30 kilometres after a red heat alert was issued in the Correze region, while a number of riders have spoken about the physical strain of competing in the temperatures affecting the race.
Pogacar has been constantly wrapped in an ice-vest pre and post-stage to try and keep cool
Unexpected setback for Pogacar’s meticulous Tour operation
Even should UAE only remain at the hotel for one or two nights, the issue comes at an inconvenient moment. Pogacar’s team is known for paying close attention to the smallest details surrounding preparation and recovery, particularly during the decisive stages of a Grand Tour.
The reported power cuts do not mean Pogacar or his teammates will necessarily suffer on the road, but they represent a complication the team would rather avoid as the race moves towards another demanding mountain stage.
Pogacar has so far handled the heat and the racing better than anyone, building a 2:42 advantage over Vingegaard before the first rest day. His next challenge may be rather less familiar: trying to stay cool before the race has even restarted.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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Rafionain-Glas13-11-2026 - When Thomas gets the bullet from INEOS he can get a job as a comedian.
Senna196013-11-2026 - Right on. The more the merrier.Occam13-11-2026
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Front24213-11-2026 - Exactly you said it urslf - he outclimbed del toro by 19 sec. 19SEC and you say hes alot better than del toro still lol? And can also do the same where del toro did that to jonas even and del toro dauphine numbers better than jonas all year so why this hard whats the issue its super easy stuff - del toro wasnt that before. Then factor in both their trajectory the last years and the answer is self explonatory like i said. Nothing against jonas like many do but the typing is no the wall and so stupidly easy as its so self explanatory now. Have a good daymiguel13-11-2026
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- As far as points go they need to take a page or ten out of the Astana playbook!Lozza13-11-2026
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