Cycling: As if cycling hundreds of miles in a matter of days wasn't hard enough. At the Tour Down Under, the heat also makes everyday work more difficult for the pros. At times well over 40 degrees in the shade, the torment reaches its limits. Many professionals fell after crossing the finish line third stage straight into the sea. After the shortened third stage, André Greipel, Phil Bauhaus, Rüdiger Selig and Nico Denz commented on the race in the heat.
Greipel had no chance in the heat battle
Actually, the profile of the stage would have been perfect for André Greipel (Lotto Soudal). The German Sprinter has on the first stage of the Tour Down Under proved that its form is correct. But today's heat hit him harder than he expected. After all, Greipel has always coped well with warm temperatures in his career so far. "I have to admit that I feel weak and that's okay too." he let his fans know after the race. The bad news: Tomorrow it will be even hotter.
Have to say that I'm weak and there is nothing wrong with that. Even in my age I find new sensation (even this a bad one) in the heat #boiled #toasted #44*C #smallengine. Congrats to @eliaviviani.
— Andre Greipel (@AndreGreipel) 18 January 2018
Bauhaus ice cold in the Australian heat
Phil Bauhaus (Sunweb) had significantly fewer problems in the Australian oven of the Tour Down Under. In the final sprint, the 23-year-old gave no indication that the heat could have affected him. On the contrary: He grabbed the perfect rear wheel from Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) - as if he had known that the Italian has the highest top speed today. He thanked his teammates via Twitter and added "I'm happy to finish second in this very hot stage."
Happy to finish second after a very hot stage @tourdownunder 🔥A big thanks to the teamsunweb… https://t.co/sNoQqNvcm0
— Phil Bauhaus (@PhilBauhaus) 18 January 2018
Selig reveals Bora-hansgrohe's intermediate sprint strategy
Rüdiger Selig (Bora-hansgrohe) also suffered from the heat. With his race diary for radsport-news.com for the Tour Down Under, he spoke up immediately after the race: "You really can't imagine how much the planet is burning down here. At the start it was just 52 degrees on my Wahoo. And there's not much shade here, I can tell you that..." He was also able to tell us the team strategy for the intermediate sprints. The fact that only two drivers were ahead was no cause for celebration: “Rather unfavorable, because with two intermediate sprints that means there is still a bonus second to gain. We drove the first one from the front for Jay and lo and behold, Nathan Haas and Daryl Impey had the same idea. Sam was there as a backup in case Jay didn't win - which turned out to be spot on."
Denz speaks of "rumors about a cancellation" of the 4th stage
Nico Denz (AG2R La Mondiale) wasn't so keen on cycling today - understandable given the speedometer display: “However, today was really too much of a good thing. When the SRM speedometer reads almost 50 degrees, there is one thing or another I would rather do than get on my bike.” In the race diary on his website, Denz then immediately spreads an exciting rumor into the world: "Tomorrow is supposed to be even hotter. It is already clear that the start will be brought forward a little, but I could also hear some rumors about a cancellation. Let's wait and see what the commissioners decide in the end." Well, let's hope that the fourth stage of the Tour Down Under can take place.
Nico Denz.de – @tourdownunder #3 https://t.co/QO1OtHJzq8
— Nico Denz (@NicoDenz) 18 January 2018