To say that it’s been a tad hot at the Tour Down Under this week would be somewhat of an understatement, with race organisers having to shorten Thursday’s stage three by 26km and bringing the start of stage four forward by an hour so the riders avoid the worse of the afternoon heat.
>>> Elia Viviani capitalises on Caleb Ewan’s mistake to win Tour Down Under stage three
With even the Australian riders struggling with the heat in the middle of the southern hemisphere summer, it’s no surprise that there were plenty of riders and teams posting on social media about their attempts to deal with the heat.
Riders were understandably reluctant to venture out from the shade and away from the ice boxes at the start of the stage.
The Quick-Step Floors boys were all smiles ahead of the start. #TDU pic.twitter.com/UrEw9N2WOs
— Quick-Step Cycling (@quickstepteam) January 18, 2018
Which is better? 🤔
Cool butt or cool head?#TDU pic.twitter.com/j8rL6tGvQw— Trek-Segafredo (@TrekSegafredo) January 18, 2018
Plenty of teams posted photos of the thermometers in their cars to show off the sweltering temperatures
A very tough day… the heat is unbelievable here in South Australia… #TDU 😈🚵☀ pic.twitter.com/TH2SvlgFdC
— Astana Pro Team (@AstanaTeam) January 18, 2018
When you're racing #TDU
Ride it like it's hot
Ride it like it's hot
Ride it like it'a hot pic.twitter.com/UWAyxpDf33— Quick-Step Cycling (@quickstepteam) January 18, 2018
But some of the riders’ Garmins were showing even higher temperatures
Datos de temperatura🌡en mi Garmin sobre la etapa de hoy:
Mínima:37ºC
Máxima:48ºC
Media:43ºC
Y dicen que mañana hará más calor🔥🤪.
Sudaremos como en una clase de spinning😂— Carlos Barbero (@BarberoCbc) January 18, 2018
Spare a thought for some of the journos who were cooped up in a stuffy press room
Meanwhile in the tin shed #TDU press room … #literally pic.twitter.com/242kPKdVRZ
— Sophie Smith (@SophieSmith86) January 18, 2018
Team Sunweb had a clever way of keeping their riders cool (while Chris Hamilton won the award for Hashtag of the Day)
Tiago Machado didn’t seem to mind the heat too much, launching a futile late attack
Estava quentinho hoje! 44 graus, fez me lembrar o nosso Alentejo em agosto! pic.twitter.com/ub95u7QaDN
— Tiago Machado (@Tiagomachado85) January 18, 2018
While Thomas De Gendt was back in the pack looking forward to freezing rain and driving crosswinds at Paris-Nice
This heat makes me look forward to paris-nice weather. I'll just deal with the obligatory echelons.
— Thomas De Gendt (@DeGendtThomas) January 18, 2018
Simon Clarke was among those who looked pretty drained at the finish
Super hot one out there today at @tourdownunder. I had 44° avg. on my @garmin! Was nice to get amongst it in the final though and squeeze a top 10. #tdu pic.twitter.com/tqfx39acgp
— Simon Clarke (@SimoClarke) January 18, 2018
But at least the sea was close at hand for the rider to enjoy a quick dip to cool down
Finished today’s TDU stage and straight in the ocean for a swim afterwards. Its not all bad
— Owain Doull (@owaindoull) January 18, 2018
What’s the best way to cool off after a hot day in the saddle at #TDU?☀️🌊 #CreatingMemories pic.twitter.com/Gnm33gO4xn
— Team Sunweb (@TeamSunweb) January 18, 2018
#TDU this is how you cool off after a bike race…. pic.twitter.com/e2zOI4AlV9
— BMC Racing Team (@BMCProTeam) January 18, 2018
Unfortunately not all of the riders were able to enjoy a post-race swim, although race organisers made sure that a cooling fan was available for stage winner Elia Viviani.
The most important trophy @eliaviviani got after today's victory: his own cooling fan 😁 pic.twitter.com/UAwW08St0B
— Quick-Step Cycling (@quickstepteam) January 18, 2018
Meanwhile happy birthday to Miles Scotson, who was given a very suitable type of cake by his team
#TDU Ice cream cake is the only option when it’s 42 degrees. Happy birthday @MilesScotson! #Ride_BMC pic.twitter.com/OmgGHqyIo5
— BMC Racing Team (@BMCProTeam) January 18, 2018
And finally spare a thought for one Quebecois rider (who we assume to be FDJ‘s Antoine Duchesne), who has gone from -40ºC to +40ºC, while also having to ride a WorldTour bike race. Chapeau!
I spoke with a rider from Quebec today, when he left home it was -40! That's 80'c swing, I never thought that was possible pic.twitter.com/QbX2Ct4T5e
— Nathan Haas (@NathanPeterHaas) January 18, 2018
