Hot, hot, hot!

 How Hot is Too Hot?

It was hot (almost too hot) in Piedmont back in July

How hot is too hot? Zio Lorenzo's using the "Over 65 years of age + over 32 C temperature = stay inside where it's cool." equation to keep him off his sporty bikes these days. He'll go out on the shopping bike in the morning but that's it for exercise, other than going up and down the stairs inside the house.

But what about racing? The UCI recently adopted some weather protocols calling anything above 28 C:

Red Zone – Above 28°C – High risk – Modification of start and finish times, possible neutralisation of a section or cancellation of the stage/race.

Yet the Vuelta's been running for a week in Portugal and southern Spain in temperatures around 40 C. WTF? Some changes HAVE been made, but they seem more like what's called-for here:

Orange Zone – Between 23°C and 27.9°C – Moderate high risk – Keep start area in the shade, protect officials, increase number of neutral motorbikes providing riders with drinks and ice packs, adapt the rules that limit hydration and cooling in during competition. 

Zio's no weather expert but a chart he consulted shows 40 C to be "extreme danger" for prolonged exposure or strenuous activity unless the humidity is under 50%. That "dry heat" they like to talk about I guess?

IS the humidity in southern Spain under 50%? Riders have commented on the extreme heat pretty much every day, yet the protocols observed seem to be just those for "Orange Zone" with temps maxing out at 28 C rather than something for the 40's reported. Is "wet bulb" temperature as noted in the UCI protocols all that different?

Where's the infamous riders union guy - the one who made so much noise about cold and rain earlier this year? Zio notes that one can always put on MORE clothes when it's cold vs the heat in Spain where the racers garb is almost transparent. What does he have to say about these extreme temps that seem to exceed what is allowed? He made a big stink about hookless wheel rims not too long ago but wrote this about racing in 40 C temps...

"It's borderline, but it's OK"

Zio can only scratch his bald head and wonder WTF? This fellow showed no fear of castigating the Giro d'Italia and it's organizer RCS over cold and wet conditions, saying this as recently as May:

“We need to make the Extreme Weather Protocol a bit more specific, It's too general,” he suggested. “There were two points this time: freezing rain and extreme temperatures, which was today. So we could have invoked the protocol, without all the debate and discussions.”

But "It's borderline, but it's OK" when it comes to 104 F in the sun? That's not an extreme temperature?

Could this have anything to do with this race being owned by the mighty ASO, who also owns LeTour, Paris-Roubaix, etc. vs RCS, owner of Il Giro? If the Giro encounters temps like these in the future (and it won't be the first time, I remember Stephen Roche complaining about heat in Sicily during La Corsa Rosa decades ago) will he say:

"It's borderline, but it's OK*"?

Zio wouldn't bet on it!

Update: Discussions are popping-up online about 

WTF the Vuelta is in August in the first place if it's too hot? You have to go back to the mid-1990's when that corrupt candy executive was the UCI boss. Back then the screwball idea was put to the Giro d'Italia organizer to move La Corsa Rosa to August and let La Vuelta have the May/June spot on the calendar.

RCS wisely said NFW so the Vuelta was forced (and later taken over entirely by ASO, owners of LeTour since it turned out to be such a dumb move) into this spot on the calendar from it's previous spring (before Il Giro) dates. Just another bad idea from the same guy who helped BigTex conceal his doping -  but are we stuck with it forever?

*Hansen claimed to have surveyed the riders at La Vuelta with few expressing any reservations (we'll ignore Antonio Tiberi dropping out because of the heat I guess?) but back in 2018 at the Tour Down Under, with racing going on despite 40+C temps he said this: "I had mixed reactions from riders about the heat. Yes, there were many riders who wanted to stop the race. But there were also other riders who wanted to race." He also went on to tell his detractors: "Get your facts right, not everyone shares your opinion!"

Zio would suggest perhaps he take his own advice?