'Other sports would be cancelled' – Tour de France riders react to stage 15 heat

Tadej Pogacar pours a San Pellegrino on stage winner Jasper Philipsen
Tadej Pogacar pours a San Pellegrino on stage winner Jasper Philipsen (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Two weeks into the Tour de France, the peloton faced what was the hottest day on the bike so far, racing 202.5km into 40°C heat on the road to Carcassonne.

It was a stage that saw QuickStep-AlphaVinyl rider Michael Mørkøv hurt more than anyone else, dropping off the back early on after suffering in the heat, and then battling on alone to the line outside the time cut.

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*

Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets

After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Join now for unlimited access

Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Senior news writer

Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Prior to joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur.

 

Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, World Championships, and the spring Classics. They have interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Remco Evenepoel, Demi Vollering, and Anna van der Breggen.

 

As well as original reporting, news and feature writing, and production work, Dani also oversees How to Watch guides and works on The Leadout newsletter throughout the season. Their favourite races are Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix and their favourite published article is from the 2024 edition of the latter: 'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix