Tour de France shortens stage nine by 30 kilometres amid record heat

The 2026 Tour de France became the hottest in its history, forcing organisers to shorten stage nine by 30 kilometres between Malemort and Ussel on 12 July. Temperatures approached 40°C during the stage, and riders placed ice inside their jerseys to cope. Uno-X Mobility riders performed well under the conditions.

Tobias Hallend Johannessen finished second in stage nine, and Torstein Træen wore the yellow jersey for two stages earlier in the race. Soren Waerenskjold also competed for the team. Coach Olav Aleksander Bu, who developed the team's heat-adaptation methods, described a gradual protocol that begins with reduced exposure to cold beverages and air conditioning.

Athletes then complete low-intensity sessions in heat before progressing to higher-intensity work. In Norway the riders sometimes wear painter’s suits during training to restrict heat loss or use a small heated room where temperatures are raised from 20°C to 30°C. Bu said most heat-adaptation benefits appear after seven to 10 days, including measurable increases in plasma volume.

Without such preparation, performance can drop more than 30 to 40 per cent in extreme heat, Bu stated. The team also uses CORE body-temperature sensors during sessions to monitor core readings alongside lactate measurements. @NewScientist reported that the Norwegian method of endurance training, which Bu helped pioneer, now incorporates these heat-specific elements for athletes from cooler climates.