Skujiņš: Heat at Tour de France is "absolutely crazy" – teamwork and challenges
Latvian cyclist Toms Skujiņš says the extreme heat at the Tour de France is unprecedented, as he and Krists Neilands support their team leaders in the points classification. Neilands, recovering from a crash, admits the heat is affecting his body differently.
The first nine days of the Tour de France have seen Latvian riders working for their teams. Toms Skujiņš of Lidl-Trek notes the squad had a positive start – for the first time since he joined, they won an early stage. In the general classification, teammate Juan Ayuso is fifth, just seven seconds off the podium. The team targets the points classification with sprinter Mads Pedersen. Skujiņš emphasizes that this week's sprint stages are crucial, but points can also be collected at intermediate sprints and in hilly terrain where Pedersen excels. "Our lead-out train isn't the strongest for classic finishes, so we have to fight for points from breaks," Skujiņš explained. Feeling better than usual despite a spring illness, Skujiņš finds the heat "absolutely crazy." He admits that when he overheats, he cannot recover as quickly as others. A large part of his job involves cooling teammates before, during, and after stages – he recalls a former teammate vomiting from overheating. Meanwhile, Krists Neilands (Intermarché-Wanty) usually handles heat well but says his body is reacting differently now. After a crash in the Belgian Tour, he lost about a week of training and had to prove his readiness for the Tour. The first week was tough, but he expects his form to return. Neilands works for Eritrean sprinter Biniam Girmay in the points competition. While he dreams of joining a breakaway for his own result, he follows team orders for now. Skujiņš is competing in his eighth Tour de France, Neilands in his sixth.
