You know things are serious when the spectators of the Tour de France are asked not to attend the 40km finale of a stage. Even during the Covid 19-hit Tour of 2020, it was only the starts and finishes that were really impacted by restrictions.
However, as the peloton heads for its first proper sprint, the now well-known technical run into Pau—the conversation isn’t just about who has the best legs after a tough start to the Tour amongst the fastmen - it’s about who can survive this historic early-summer heatwave, where we are seeing near 45°C temperatures, and raging wildfires become the talking points of the first week.
The Peloton being hosed at the Vuelta a España 2024 in similar conditions
To battle these brutal conditions, Tour de France riders need to adapt to the heat, with teams deploying a range of low- and high-tech solutions. The high-tech ones are ever-evolving, with teams now being offered complete kits designed specifically to handle these extremes. The Rapha Pro Team Ghost Air jersey uses internal 3D-fabric channelling to maximise airflow against the skin. Meanwhile, Tom Pidcock's Pinarello Q36.5 squad utilises their title sponsor's advanced yarn engineered to manage and lower core body temperatures.
Not all teams have access to these high-tech solutions, and many still use tried-and-tested, simple, low-tech solutions to keep cool. Just this week, the beautifully simple "ice sock" has officially been clamped down on and banned due to potential violations of strict aerodynamic rules. We also saw NetCompany Ineos bizarrely sitting with their arms in ice baths ahead of the stage one TTT, employing the interesting 'wrist-cooling hack'.
While even the smallest World Tour teams can rely on a fleet of team cars packed with ice and domestics to ferry them back and forth, we mere mortals don’t have that luxury as solo, unsupported riders out on our Sunday morning rides.
So, here is my ultimate gear guide to beat the heat on your own summer rides.
Everything I have featured in this piece comes highly rated and fully reviewed by a member of the Cycling Weekly team, or is a personal recommendation based on our years of experience suffering in the saddle.
All the products above are intended largely for our US readers; however, check the widget below for all the products featured above and the best deals on them in your region.