Spain's Tour so hot cyclists lose 4.5kg a day
Cyclists taking part in Spain's La Vuelta tour are having to endure such high temperatures in the summer heat they’re averaging 4.5kg (10 pounds) a day in weight loss through all the sweating.
If anybody needs an Ice Bucket Challenge right now, that’s participants in ‘La Vuelta a España’.
According to cycling website VeloNews, riders in Spain’s answer to The Tour de France are drinking 12 bottles of water during each stage, and a few more if you count those they pour over their heads.
"Air temperatures are pushing 100F (38 degrees celsius), and it's even hotter with the sun beating off the asphalt," VeloNews’s Andrew Hood wrote.
The first five stages of La Vuelta that have already taken place have all been in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, notorious for its suffocating summer temperatures.
Swiss cyclist Fabian Cancellara tweeted that no matter how much water he drank he was still getting cramps.
To help fight the heat, top riders of the likes of Alberto Contador and Chris Froome are sporting a new “bar vest” which allows them to carry bottles during racing.
Other teams are opting to strap ice packs to the rider’s backs to try and keep their body temperatures under control.
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If anybody needs an Ice Bucket Challenge right now, that’s participants in ‘La Vuelta a España’.
According to cycling website VeloNews, riders in Spain’s answer to The Tour de France are drinking 12 bottles of water during each stage, and a few more if you count those they pour over their heads.
"Air temperatures are pushing 100F (38 degrees celsius), and it's even hotter with the sun beating off the asphalt," VeloNews’s Andrew Hood wrote.
The first five stages of La Vuelta that have already taken place have all been in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, notorious for its suffocating summer temperatures.
Swiss cyclist Fabian Cancellara tweeted that no matter how much water he drank he was still getting cramps.
To help fight the heat, top riders of the likes of Alberto Contador and Chris Froome are sporting a new “bar vest” which allows them to carry bottles during racing.
Other teams are opting to strap ice packs to the rider’s backs to try and keep their body temperatures under control.
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