With South Australia in the middle of a heat wave as temperatures soar into the low-40's Celsius, it was no surprise stage 3 of the Santos Tour Down Under was shortened in accordance with the UCI Extreme weather protocol. The 11 am race start though remained unchanged.
As the third day of racing finished with three circuits in Victor Harbor, there was minimal disruption in shortening the stage. With all but one of the six stages finishing with circuits, the possibility of weather-affected stages is factored into the course design of the Tour Down Under.
Speaking to Cyclingnews on the start of stage 3, Turtur explained the decision-making process in shortening the stage and added safety measures implemented across the stage, including an additional feed zone after 47 kilometres of racing.
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"We have spoken with Matthew White the team managers representative, Adam Hansen the rider representative, and Wayne Pomario the chief commissaire and together we had a discussion," Turtur told Cyclingnews. "The organisation proposed an arrangement for today and everyone was in agreeance, it is just a matter of implementing the extreme weather protocol and it works well."
Although stage 3 of the race started in the seaside town of Glenelg and finished on the coast at Victor Harbor, northerly winds ensured a hot day in the saddle for the riders.
The initial implementation of the UCI Extreme Weather protocol resulted in mixed outcomes, as organisers, riders and commissaire tried to come to agreeance with the course of action. With the major stakeholders now engaging in open dialogue and the UCI's policy there to follow, Turtur believes there are no negative connotations associated with implementing the protocol.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/extreme-weather-a-factor-in-tour-down-under-stage-design
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