אלפ דו'אז 2003...
ההשפעה של מזג האויר הלוהט באותו יום בצרפת. Thirty-five degrees Celsius: this was the temperature at the beginning of the climb to Alpe d'Huez. It easily went up to 40° in some places for the riders, pedaling under the sun and on the French asphalt roads. With such high temperatures, the thermostatic temperature control of the body becomes a determining factor; a bigger volume of blood is sent right under the skin in order to lose heat with sweat, taking away oxygen from the muscles. The body's temperature tends to increase, sometimes reaching or even exceeding 39° C. If 39° C is exceeded, heat stroke might happen, with even more serious outcomes. Heavier riders have a smaller bodily surface if compared to their mass, thus it is harder for them to lose heat than lighter riders. Performances are indeed very affected by high temperatures: just think of how much slower athletes run marathons during summer months, in comparison with winter and spring events. In fact, en excellent Iban Mayo climbed the final ascent in 39:05 (VAM of 1735 m/h), two minutes slower than Marco Pantani's record. Farther back come Armstrong and the group of the best riders (VAM of 1640 m/h).They were all controlling each other, trying to avoid risks to keep something in reserve for the next few days, beginning with tomorrow's 9th stage, with Lautaret and Izoard, ending in Gap, one of the hottest places in France.