As riders and national teams arrive in Qatar for the UCI Road World Championships, the possibility of high temperatures and cross winds has become apparent, with current temperatures of 36C and humidity of 70 per cent in the capital Doha, which will host the time trial and road races.
Fortunately for the riders, the temperatures are forecast to dip below or remain around 35C throughout the eight days of racing, which should mean race distances are not cut because of the UCI’s Extreme Weather Protocol. However, the UCI has confirmed that a group of four medical experts will make daily assessments of the weather forecast and convene before each road race.
Tom Boonen warned that those riding the 257km elite men’s race will need to drink between ten and twelve litres of liquid because of the heat. “If you ride half an hour without a drink, your race is over and you can go home,” he said.
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Boonen has won 22 stages at the Tour of Qatar. As one of the best Classics riders in the history of the sport, he knows that the wind and subsequent echelons will also be decisive. Boonen is hoping the wind will split the peloton and so give him and Belgium a better chance of victory.
Medium range forecasts for the elite men’s road race on October are predicting 30km/h winds from the northwest, with gusts up to 45km/h. With the race heading north and then south for the first 150km, cross winds and echelon seem likely.
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Daniele Bennati is the road captain of the Italian team that hope Giacomo Nizzolo or Elia Viviani can win the rainbow jersey. Bennati, like Boonen, sees crosswinds as an opportunity and an advantage rather that a problem.
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