France hits an all time record high temperature

[Phil W]

Parts of France has hit an all time high temperature of 45C today.  Do hope the heatwave breaks before PBP or my bike will melt let alone me.

[Chris S]

To be fair, those kind of temperatures only really occur well inland (or, as in this case, well South); PBP route stays well North. Be ready for 30s, but highly unlikely to see 40s.

[Salvatore]

I was in France on my way to PBP in August 2003 when the previous record was set. I don't know what the temperature was where I was, but it was hot enough. I've experienced riding in 42° in Italy and it wasn't much below that. I remember reaching a bar in a village and read in a newspaper of the thousands of people dying in Paris and the morgues being full. The high temperatures continued until the night before the start, when a torrential thunderstorm hit SQY. I was on the campsite and had a decent tent, but many weren't so well prepared. People ended up sleeping in the toilet block or on the verandas of unoccupied chalets.

As I recall, the conditions during the ride were pretty good.

If temperatures had remained high, I would have considered a DNS.

Edit: From https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canicule_européenne_de_2003#France

La Bretagne connaît son record de température, dépassant 40 °C

[Pickled Onion]

It was 40s when I was in Georgia last year and actually, while you’re cycling it’s not too bad as long as you keep drinking water and keep moving the air movement and sweat keeps you at an ok temperature. As soon as you stop it can get unbearable.

Change and rinse the salt out of your shorts at any opportunity, hanging on your pannier rack to dry if you have one. The biggest danger is saddle sores from the salt and lack of ventilation there. Paradoxically I found 3/4 lengths better than shorts. A hat with a wide brim is also helpful if you’re not a helmet wearer.

[Deano]

Not to worry, ESL's predicting all-out rain like back in 2007: https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=112360.msg2403076#msg2403076

[Exit Stage Left]

Not to worry, ESL's predicting all-out rain like back in 2007: https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=112360.msg2403076#msg2403076

That pattern has broken down, after some pretty poor conditions for qualifiers. Chris S will know from Semaine Federale that high temperatures are manageable. It was 38 in Lorraine last year, which was a bit grim, camping on an airfield in the open.

We've twice had what the French call an 'Orage' on the Semaine, caused by prolonged high temperatures: Sudden high winds, thunder and lightning, and structural damage. Those are quite localised. There was an element of that in 2011, between Loudeac and Carhaix. Like the 2017 LEL Teesdale storm, it was nasty to be in it, but only a relatively small number were affected. I was asleep at Loudeac throughout it.

High temperatures were a problem at the 2011 start, which had moved to Sunday afternoon, but was still a free-for-all. Many drank their water before the start. There was some available, but the riders seemed to get a bit docile when penned up for an hour. That was cured by the LEL-style start in 2015.

[Pip]

I was in France on my way to PBP in August 2003 when the previous record was set. I don't know what the temperature was where I was, but it was hot enough.

Edit: From https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canicule_européenne_de_2003#France

La Bretagne connaît son record de température, dépassant 40 °C

Fried an egg on the bonnet of our car two days before PBP 2003

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I remember riding one of frankly frankie's PRoFS just before PBP03 and having to veer into every bar along the 120km route for cold drinks and shade. Mark and I made urgent plans to become nocturnal as we were highly likely to DNF PBP as mere greasy stains on the tarmac. That storm was a godsend that meant an enjoyable finish on my 1965 Moulton Stowaway.

[Exit Stage Left]

I remember riding one of frankly frankie's PRoFS just before PBP03 and having to veer into every bar along the 120km route for cold drinks and shade. Mark and I made urgent plans to become nocturnal as we were highly likely to DNF PBP as mere greasy stains on the tarmac. That storm was a godsend that meant an enjoyable finish on my 1965 Moulton Stowaway.

I filmed two riders from San Francisco that year, on a visit to Versailles. They'd fitted mudguards, as they'd had 12 hours of continuous rain on their 600 qualifier.

That film also features a rider who'd forgotten their leg-warmers on an East Anglian 300 in April, that had temperatures from -2 to 18C. He went on to do the 400 and 600 in better conditions in Australia. Part 1 ends at the bakery in Tremblay, where they were handing out bottles of water. In 2003 they had a bike with a dummy on it, driven by a motor. By 2007 the motor had failed. In 2011 the bakery had closed, and there was no water. By 2015 there was no trace that the bakery had ever existed.

[frankly frankie]

Sheila's riding in the French Alps at the moment and reported 43 in the shade last Wednesday.  The year there were those fatalities in Paris we crossed a high pass and still had 40 near the top - but it seemed surprisingly manageable (and I don't like hot conditions at all).  But this is all very early, we'll be heading for arctic winter by the ned of August ...

[madamemugwump]

I was in France on my way to PBP in August 2003 when the previous record was set. I don't know what the temperature was where I was, but it was hot enough.

You rode also in the Deux Cents several years back no? That was pretty darned warm as I recall. Mid 30s if not more?

[CAMRAMan]

I was riding along the Danube in Austria in 2007 and when we got to Linz it was 43C. As Pickled Onion said, riding wasn't the problem, but hydration was. Taps were in short supply, so we had to beg for water from nearby houses on occasions. It was NOT the time to be breaking in a new Brookes saddle on the Birdy!

[Redlight]

That film also features a rider who'd forgotten their leg-warmers on an East Anglian 300 in April, that had temperatures from -2 to 18C.

I remember that ride -and said rider complaining at having cold legs.  It was one of Herman Ramsey's if I recall.  The water in my bidon was part frozen by the time we got to the first control, at about 1am, only to find it locked up because the local who held the keys to the hall had mixed up a.m. and p.m, and poor Herman was reduced to serving orange juice from the back of his car. 

[Salvatore]

I was in France on my way to PBP in August 2003 when the previous record was set. I don't know what the temperature was where I was, but it was hot enough.

You rode also in the Deux Cents several years back no? That was pretty darned warm as I recall. Mid 30s if not more?

Yes, that's right (?2012) . Or rather half of it. I packed at the secret control somewhere after Aurillac, and heat was probably a big factor in my failure. Then I rode hack to Aurillac, spent a night in a hotel, and got the train back to Tours. For one leg of the journey there was barely bearable heat in the crowded  train, and the exasperated railway official was clearly tired of explaining that there was nothing wrong with the AC, it just wasn't designed to cope with such temperatures.

From Tours I rode to Milan for the 1001 Miglia Italia, where it was much hotter, and I learned that every Italian village has a fontana  where you can help yourself to drinking water. ELS's Italian chum Riccardo was shocked to find that similar facilities didn't exist in France when he rode PBP.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

That film also features a rider who'd forgotten their leg-warmers on an East Anglian 300 in April, that had temperatures from -2 to 18C.

I remember that ride -and said rider complaining at having cold legs.

That rider remembers riding in Damon's draft and hoping he'd fart - just for the warmth.

[Exit Stage Left]

That film also features a rider who'd forgotten their leg-warmers on an East Anglian 300 in April, that had temperatures from -2 to 18C.

I remember that ride -and said rider complaining at having cold legs.  It was one of Herman Ramsey's if I recall.  The water in my bidon was part frozen by the time we got to the first control, at about 1am, only to find it locked up because the local who held the keys to the hall had mixed up a.m. and p.m, and poor Herman was reduced to serving orange juice from the back of his car.

The Windflower 300. I'd just got a Fuji M603, which was essentially the first vlogging camera, recording VGA at 30fps. SVCDs were the most practical way of showing the results, which meant editing at 29.97 fps. That set a scene length before the sound and vision went out of synch. That kept the editing snappy, terrible sound though.

I've still got the SVCD of that ride somewhere. It was a 1am start, and we got to the first control at 6am, having gone off course. We were freezing and looking forward to a bit of a warm. Being East Anglia there were no shops or cafes until a cafe control South of Cambridge, over 100km in.

We met Yoshi Sekido at the start, and learned of the expatriate Japanese community around Croydon. He was perplexed by the instruction 'S.O at Village Green', which kept popping up. He wondered if it was some sort of light.

Heather was determined to finish PBP2003, having packed in 1999. We did loads of extra riding, especially when it was hot. She got a bit of heat exhaustion on a ride to Kendal and back at about 33C. We were near Carnforth, so we went into Booths supermarket and rested bags of frozen peas on her forearms. The PBP route seems to lack those sort of facilities, but they are just off route.

Another key tip is to avoid riding into controls at full speed. The cooling effect of the moving air is suddenly absent, and when you stop you'll be immediately bathed in sweat, your blood will be diverted to your skin, and you'll fall over. Cooling down for the last Ks is a good idea.

[Flahute]

38ºC here in Normandie today, I don't like to show off but I went out for a 60km loop on my fast* bike and blagged a 10km KOM on Str*va, but, nobody likes a show off. Plenty of water and shade, jobsagood'un.

*cough.

[T42]

Cool here this afternoon, just 32°C.  Due to peak tomorrow, then <gasp> rain on Monday.  Weather should be usable again by Tuesday.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

37 or so in southern Paris. Hopefully it'll ease off a bit tomorrow for the Montgeron-Tourmalet 1000 UAF tomorrow. It'll be a steady ride of course, so no KOMs for me.

[T42]

Bonne route !

[mzjo]

What makes the canicule difficult is not the 40°+ in the daytime (although I find that difficult enough, and we have been having a bit in Limousin) but the combination of that with nights with 30°+ at midnight. Lack of decent sleep has a knock-on effect on your resistance to daytime heat. Last night we had only about 27° at midnight with a bit of breeze and it was heaven! We sat on the terrace enjoying the comfort. Now it's cool but the temperature will go back up from wednesday. Not riding much at present!

I remember the Douze Cents. I went out to see if I could catch the riders passing in the Creuse and nearly melted!

[drgannet]

Very pleased to have ridden my Raid Pyrenean the week before the high temperatures, rather than last Friday; a very pleasant 28C near the Med.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Today's stage to Le Mans got into the mid-30s, which was quite high enough. Hopefully things will cool slightly as this 1000 UAF brevet continues.

[T42]

Le Mans? That's a change since 2007: our first stage was to Blois.

The west's due to get cooler again with nice northerly wind, hot again Friday.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Tonight is Rochefort. Cooler in the morning but still warm this afternoon. Not too far to bed now.