Europe’s heat and wildfires reshape cycling’s Grand Tour season

Cycling is facing the brunt of climate change as Europe, the fastest-warming continent, experiences hotter and drier conditions, altering the landscape of Grand Tour racing. The Vuelta a España is passing through wildfire-ravaged areas, highlighting the sport's dependence on countryside that is increasingly threatened. A 2022 wildfire in Alicante, Spain, burned 12,150 hectares, forcing evacuations and changing local microclimates, with residents noting hotter summers and abandoned farmland. The Vuelta has planted 2,000 trees and races through affected communities to provide a sense of normality, while organizers deploy firefighters to stages. Wildfires this summer have burned 643,085 hectares across Europe, and cycling is more susceptible than other sports, with the Tour de France also impacted by nearby fires. The transforming countryside, from parched to blackened land, is a growing concern for the sport's future.