Tour de France fans treated for hypothermia on Mont Ventoux

Two fans planning to watch today’s Bastille Day stage of the Tour de France were treated last night on Mont Ventoux for hypothermia as the wind chill factor caused temperatures to plunge to minus 10 degrees Celsius, reports news website France Bleu.

With winds of up to 130 kilometres an hour buffeting the mountain known as the Giant of Provence overnight, paramedics treated an adolescent on the spot, while a 64-year-old man was taken to hospital in Carpentras.

Yesterday evening, Tour de France organisers ASO decided to shorten today’s stage by 6km to finish at Chalet Reynard, meaning riders will not have to tackle the barren upper slopes of the mountain.

> Tour de France to skip Mont Ventoux summit finish

That decision, taken on safety grounds. has been vindicated by confirmation that between 11am and noon today, the temperature at the summit was barely above freezing, and gusts of wind reached up to 117 kilometres an hour.

Graphique du vent moyen observé cette nuit au sommet du Mont-Ventoux. #TDF2016 https://t.co/tbJnMtWI5K pic.twitter.com/eZoucrHtvq

— Météo Ventoux (@MeteoVentoux) July 14, 2016

The Vaucluse Prefecture has warned that people in a fragile state of health, as well as children, should be kept away from Mont Ventoux for today’s Stage 12 of the race, which started in Montpellier.

Defending champion Chris Froome of Team Sky leads the general classification by 28 seconds following a thrilling stage from Carcassonne to Montpellier, where he finished second to Tinkoff’s Peter Sagan after crosswinds helped the pair, each with a team mate to support them, get away from the peloton with 12 kilometres left.

You can catch up on the highlights and onboard footage by following the link below.

> Tour de France Stage 11 highlights and onboard video