Taking It To Extremes

With this year's Tour comprising particularly precipitous slopes and searing heat, fastidious preparation is part and parcel of the daily grind.

- James Shrubsall

When the Tour de France began in Düsseldorf, no rider, team boss or fan could predict how extraordinary the first week would be. But you learn to expect the unexpected in bike racing — especially in the Tour de France — so most riders and indeed onlookers will have come to terms with the myriad plot twists of the race so far. That includes the ferocious temperatures, which reached up to 35°C on last Friday’s 213km stage seven, from Troyes to Nuits St Georges, and were set to stay high into the weekend’s mountain stages to Station des Rousses and Chambéry.

On top of the high temperatures another, more predictable, challenge that faced the riders came in the shape of the plentiful steep gradients this year, which were made much of during the build-up to the race. Faced with this twin-pronged challenge, teams this year found themselves delving into the bottom of their kit bags and parts bins in search of the tools for the job.