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Despite deadly wildfires and record heat across Europe, the Tour de France is doing everything in its power to keep cyclists on the route, to the degree that its organizers have even taken to pouring water on parts of the course to make sure the roads don't melt.
Jalopnik reports that Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), which manages the Tour, has allocated 10,000 litres (about 2,642 gallons) of water, split between multiple trucks, to target particularly meltable points in the course. Who said the apocalypse had to be dull! "In certain places, the asphalt is going to start melting, not everywhere of course, but it is going to get much softer," a French road safety official told French TV outlet France24, explaining that the water solution is for rider safety. "So you can imagine how that might end?"
The Tour has only rarely been cancelled in its century-plus history, and officials clearly aren't eager to succumb to the heat. But as the temperatures in Europe inch towards a sweltering peak, many are wondering if it's safe to keep riders on the streets at all. Also, whether continuing the competition is worth wasting the resources, especially while fires burning elsewhere in the nation and beyond.
Sources: Thousands of litres of water to stop '60-degree' Tour de France roads melting