VITORIA-GASTEIZ (VG) Norway’s Uno-X Team has filled 700 liters of ice ahead of Sunday’s Tour de France stage.

The scale shows a delightful 22 degrees in the Basque Country, in the far north of Spain. However, on the field many riders received solid surprises during the opening stage yesterday.

Because with tens of thousands of crazy spectators near the track, and the sun scorching from the blue sky, the temperature was rising fast.

– I was very hot on the penultimate hill. I had a new maximum heart rate long before I ran “all out”. There were a lot of vacant eyes around me too, Tobias Halland Johannessen told VG.

The max heart rate he’s referring to is 210.

– We should have had more ice, admitted Halland Johannessen before the start of today’s stage.

And now Uno-X has learned:

– The refrigerated van had been running all night and there was ice “all over the place”. The riders had to wear ice most of the day. The temperature in the body must be low, says team manager Jens Haugland.

He said the team had prepared around 700 liters of ice, distributed in small bags that riders would put under their jackets, around their necks.

– Doesn’t it feel so hot where we stand now?

– Lord, comfort and endure! The temperature in the car yesterday was 24 degrees, but when you drive down the Cote de Pike there are 40,000 scratches over your head. Then it might feel like 35 degrees. There are plenty of other teams saying the same thing. It took us by surprise, and we had to adapt there. We did it today, the cycling manager told VG.

Sunday’s stage, like yesterday, was hilly. Two third category mountains, two fourth category mountains and one second last category mountain are in the menu.

– We’ll see how the sprinter manages. I think there will be very big groups until the end, or very small groups, said Tobias Halland Johannessen.

The second leg starts at 12.15pm, with an expected finish around 5pm.