<
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jan/12/cycling-extreme-heat-tour-down-under-fossil-fuel-sponsorship>
"The first time Maeve Plouffe trained in the heat, she was in Paris in the
lead-up to the Olympics. It was supposed to be an easy ride to help get used to
the conditions. When she returned, she fainted from heat sickness.
“That’s how badly I was affected,” she says. “Racing in extreme heat is like
playing chicken with your environment.”
What was once a speciality has now become standard, the Australian Olympic
cyclist says, especially ahead of big races such as the Tour Down Under that
are known for intense conditions. Training starts a month in advance, up to
three times a week, and takes place in a glass box roughly the size of a small
conference room within the South Australian Sports Institute.
Sessions run for an hour, during which the chamber is heated to between 36C and
40C to simulate riding for extended periods in extreme heat, in service of
mentally and physically preparing competitors for extreme conditions.
“Racing in it feels like your whole body is encapsulated in heat,” Plouffe
says. “Everything just deteriorates so fast and there’s no relief from it.”
Cycling as a sport is particularly vulnerable to its environment, especially as
climate change pushes extremes to grow more intense.
That reality is beginning to force an uneasy conversation within the sport
about its relationship with fossil fuel producers such as the Australian oil
and gas company Santos, sponsor of the Tour Down Under, which begins on 16
January.
Santos has held naming rights to the race since 2010 and renewed its
relationship in January last year, giving it the rights until 2028. It has
faced protests and calls for divestment and dissociation, particularly after
the 2019-20 bushfires.
Riders themselves are increasingly uneasy about the relationship. Plouffe, who
holds degrees in law and marine biology, does not criticise Santos or the race
organisers directly but says the next three years give organisers time to plan
the race’s future.
“I think it will just resonate better for a lot of people involved if there was
an option to have a different sponsor of the event,” she says."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
