The heat is on: How the Vuelta a España peloton is battling the first week’s intense temperatures

Very hot weather has almost always formed part of the Vuelta a España whenever it ventures into the southern half of the country. While this year is no exception, there’s been no let up to date in the heat, either, making the effects much more noticeable.

Temperatures so far have peaked at around 40°C on stage 4, but ever since the race left Lisbon, maximums have rarely dropped out of the mid-30s. On stage 5 temperatures dipped slightly to around a high of 37°C at the finish in Seville. But that wasn’t enough to stop the effects of the heatwave on the peloton, which made its way at a notably subdued pace across the rolling plateaus of south-west Spain for most of the day.