For cyclists competing in the five-day 2019 Tour de Indonesia, which ended on Friday, fighting others to be the fastest was not the only thing they had to do to win a stage in the country’s prestigious cycling race.

There was another foe they needed to tackle: the drastic change in temperatures.

In Monday’s opening stage, 90 cyclists from 26 countries started their battle for the 2019 title in a relatively comfortable morning temperature at Borobodur temple in Magelang, Central Java.

It was around 20 degrees Celsius at the historical landmark, but with humidity leveled at 75 percent — which was not ideal as the average level for health and comfort is between 40 and 50 percent.

However, when they reached the finish line in Ngawi regency square at around noon, the hot weather kicked in. The temperature app displayed a sweltering 34 degrees, which was not something many of the riders were used to.

“It’s the first day. It’s hot. It’s hard. It’s really unpredictable,” said Canadian Ryan Roth of Xspeed United Continental after coming second in the first-stage race.

Australian Angus Lyons of Oliver’s Real Food Racing, the Stage 1 Borobudur-Ngawi winner, concurred with Roth’s remark.

Despite having competed in several races in Asia, such as in Malaysia and the Philippines, Lyons said Indonesia’s heat did bother him, especially during the opener.

“Back home [in Australia] it’s about 6 degrees and sometimes snowing at the moment, so it takes a bit to get acclimatized,” said Lyons, who had his Indonesian race debut in the 2019 tour.

“I was actually fairly okay [with the heat]. It’s only the last 4 and 5 kilometers [of the first stage] that started to really heat up and become uncomfortable.”

Across the globe, the past four years have been the warmest on record. Last year, the average temperature on land and ocean surfaces was minus 16.98 degrees, above the 20th-century average, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States, and climate watchers say it is trending in one direction, reported The Washington Post.

Climate projections suggest the planet could warm by 3 or 4 degrees by the end of this century, which would have major ramifications for outdoor sports everywhere, from recreational weekend joggers to elite athletes competing on the biggest stages.

Roth said the extreme weather could affect the way he and his teammates performed in competitions as the heat could disrupt their pace.

“It’s challenging because the race can be all split up. We can be, like, one guy here and three minutes another guy [trailing behind] and another guy [followed with] five minutes’ [gap],” he added.

“So, it’s really hard for the support team car to help everybody, like get water and stuff. That’s the biggest challenge. Because if you have water, you have ice, you can stay cool, [then] it’s manageable.”

To prepare himself competing in different situations, Netherland’s Jeroen Meijers of Taiyuan Miogee Cycling said he relied on arriving early before the race to provide his body with enough time to adapt.

“When you come from Europe, it’s difficult. The air is different; it’s [more humid],” he said.

Despite dealing with scorching heat, the 2019 tour also featured challenging altitudes, which somehow became a blessing in disguise to certain participants.

In this year’s edition, the tour covered a distance of 825.5 km, with each of the five stages stretching more than 130 km.

Stage 3 on Wednesday, the longest and toughest route at 192 km, started in Malang and finished in Jember in East Java. The day started with a temperature of between 23 and 25 degrees, with around 57 percent humidity; it ended at 33 degrees with around 50 percent humidity.

The rather drastic change in temperature disrupted the recovery of several cyclists.

However, Australia’s Marcus Culey of Sapura Cycling said he benefitted from cooler weather at night, for example, in the highlands of Batu in Malang, as he managed to catch up before completing Stage 3.

“The temperature is a big thing. Sleeping at 900 meters [above sea level] on Tuesday when it’s a lot cooler and less humid, it’s a good recovery,” he said, referring to the evening rest time after Stage 2 Madiun-Batu on Tuesday.

“For me, it’s been winter in Australia. In the morning, [we have] 6 degrees with the maximum at 15. So, you came here and, whoa, [it’s] very hot. After the first stage I didn’t sleep so well, but on Tuesday, it was a good recovery. For me, higher up is nice,” he said.

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