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BARCELONA (Velo) — Extreme heat and the threat of protests by Catalan separatists could put the chill on the opening weekend of the Vuelta a España.
Temperatures were in the mid-90Fs on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s team time trial start of the 2023 Vuelta, but the weather gods could be Vuelta fans as thermometers are expected to dip into the mid-70s for Sunday’s first road stage, even with a chance of rain both Saturday and Sunday evenings.
Riders arriving early have been roasting under temperatures that are ranging higher than normal in Spain’s Catalunya region as much of the Iberian peninsula is facing extreme heat conditions.
“Warm! Humid, like, sticky heat. It’s around 35, 36 (C) there today,” Jayco-AlUla’s Eddie Dunbar told Velo’s Shane Stokes. “I think because you’re in a built up area as well around Barcelona, it does feel that bit hotter.”
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Temperatures were so hot that organizers shortened the distance of the road stage yesterday at the Tour de l’Avenir in nearby France.
Vuelta organizers will see a reprieve, at least for the first few days.
Saturday’s team time trial doesn’t begin until almost 7 p.m. local time, already assuring a bit of the most intense heat will have tapered. Forecasters are calling for temperatures to dip by 10 degrees (F) on Saturday, and another 10 degrees (F) on Sunday.
Monday’s road stage climbs into Andorra for the Vuelta’s first summit finale at Arinsal, assuring cooler temperatures at higher elevations.
When the Vuelta returns to Spain on Tuesday, much of the first week hugs the Mediterranean coast, with stages near Tarragona, Valencia, and Alicante. Temperatures in those cities have been at record highs, but forecasters are calling for highs in mid-80Fs next week.
That’s still warm, but that’s far from the near-100-degree temperatures that could present health risks to the peloton.
Warm temperatures are also part of any Vuelta, and riders like Dunbar know what to expect.
“We always start midday as well, start midday and finish late, which isn’t probably ideal racing conditions,” Dunbar said. “When it goes closer to that 40 degrees, I don’t think many people find that comfortable. I’d certainly be one of them that don’t find that too comfortable. Like 30, or whatever, I don’t mind. But it’s when it gets towards those extreme kinds of temperatures…it’s a difficult one to manage. It doesn’t come down to legs then or anything, it’s literally whose engine can cope with that heat the best.”
While temperatures have been scorching for nearly two weeks, a front is expected to push through late Saturday to see a dramatic drop in temperatures, something the peloton will be grateful about.
Protesters threaten to target Vuelta a España
Romain Bardet at the team presentation Thursday in Barcelona. (Photo: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
A group of Catalan separatists are threatening to target the Vuelta as the race pedals through the Catalunya region for its opening stages.
Barcelona plays hosts to Saturday and Sunday’s stages, with Andorra, a nearby principality in the Pyrénées, serving up the finish line Monday. The race dips back into Catalunya on Tuesday before driving south along the Mediterranean coast.
A group called Òmnium Cultural is calling for protest actions as the Vuelta passes through Catalunya for parts of the opening four stages. The group describes itself as a “civil society entity that works every day for the language, the culture, and the country,” referring to Catalunya.
The group posted a note on social media calling for political action to coincide with the grand tour, adding, “Let’s take advantage of this event with international resonance to explain our cause everywhere, let’s mobilize!”
Aquest dissabte 26 d’agost La Vuelta Ciclista arriba als Països Catalans 🚴♂️
Aprofitem aquest esdeveniment amb ressò internacional per explicar la nostra causa arreu, mobilitzem-nos! 💪 pic.twitter.com/mAF6ITC4jf
— Òmnium Cultural (@omnium) August 23, 2023
Part of the message read, “We receive the Vuelta as it deserves,” as the group called for mobilization.
The Catalunya question continues to fracture Spanish politics. Some believe Catalunya should be independent of Spain, while others want to keep Spain unified under its diverse panorama of languages and regions.
No details were revealed about what actions might be organized. Whether that’s protests alongside the road course or efforts to block the race entirely remains to be seen.
During the Tour de France this summer, police intercepted pro-Basque activists who police said were intending to disrupt stage 2 of the race. Tacks were thrown onto the course in two days of racing across Spain’s Basque Country in July.