The first week of the Tour de France is never a week, usually taking in nine stages, but it may well have felt particularly long given the heatwave that has engulfed the race pretty much since the start in Barcelona last Saturday.

Temperatures have risen high into the 30s Celsius and stayed there as the peloton has rolled over the Pyrenees and into the southern French furnace, placing extraordinary demands on the riders.

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Tadej Pogačar hunches over his handlebars looking exhausted by heat

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Tadej Pogačar hunches over his handlebars looking completely spent after a massive solo win on stage 6 over the Col du Tourmalet

Marco Frigo pours a bottle of water on his face

Marco Frigo pours a bottle of water on his face – a common sight at this year’s Tour (Image credit: Getty Images)

Marco Frigo pours a bottle of water on his face – a common sight at this year’s Tour

Jonas Abrahamsen tries to put a huge ice cube down the front of his jersey

Not so common are blocks of ice this big, but Jonas Abrahamsen did eventually squeeze this in (Image credit: Getty Images)

Not so common are blocks of ice this big, but Jonas Abrahamsen did eventually squeeze this in

Arnaud De Lie looks bored

It was a miserable and short-lived Tour for the unlucky Arnaud De Lie, who got sick again ahead of the start and abandoned on stage 4 (Image credit: Getty Images)

It was a miserable and short-lived Tour for the unlucky Arnaud De Lie, who got sick again ahead of the start and abandoned on stage 4

Jonas Vingegaard suffers up a mountain climb

Jonas Vingegaard suffers on the Col du Tourmalet – the day his hopes were dashed (Image credit: Getty Images)

Jonas Vingegaard suffers on the Col du Tourmalet – the day his hopes were dashed

Olav Kooij roars in celebration

Olav Kooij proves Decathlon CMA CGM are not all about the young Paul Seixas with his win on stage 5 (Image credit: Getty Images)

Olav Kooij proves Decathlon CMA CGM are not all about the young Paul Seixas with his win on stage 5

Mathieu van der Poel looks concerned

Mathieu van der Poel feels the heat, but warmed into the race and took out a fine win on stage 9 (Image credit: Getty Images)

Mathieu van der Poel feels the heat, but warmed into the race and took out a fine win on stage 9

Quinn Simmons yells in celebration

Quinn Simmons is not too hot to keep his moustache – he played a key role in Mads Pedersen’s breakaway victory on stage 4 (Image credit: Getty Images)

Quinn Simmons is not too hot to keep his moustache – he played a key role in Mads Pedersen’s breakaway victory on stage 4

Baptiste Veistroffer wears a hat and sunglasses

Breakaway start Baptiste Veistroffer wears a cool expression – probably because that bucket hat is full of ice cubes (Image credit: Getty Images)

Breakaway start Baptiste Veistroffer wears a cool expression – probably because that bucket hat is full of ice cubes

Jasper Stuyven points to himself, covered in grazes after a crash

As well as the heat, the body doesn’t want to be using energy to heal wounds, but that’s the reality for Jasper Stuyven (Image credit: Getty Images)

As well as the heat, the body doesn’t want to be using energy to heal wounds, but that’s the reality for Jasper Stuyven

Mads Pedersen eats an ice lolly

Ice lollies are performance nutrition too in these conditions (Image credit: Getty Images)

Ice lollies are performance nutrition too in these conditions

Collapsed on the floor, Tim Merlier looks exhausted by heat

Tim Merlier collapses on a random set of stairs after his second stage win (Image credit: Getty Images)

Tim Merlier collapses on a random set of stairs after his second stage win

Surrounded by teammates, Paul Seixas wears an N95 mask

Amid reports of illnesses, we’ve seen a few riders masking up as a precautious – 19-year-old rising star Paul Seixas was among them (Image credit: Getty Images)

Amid reports of illnesses, we’ve seen a few riders masking up as a precautious – 19-year-old rising star Paul Seixas was among them

Jonas Vingegaard looks shocked and tired

Jonas Vingegaard looks blankly into the middle-distance after a day spent in the yellow jersey on stage 2 (Image credit: Getty Images)

Jonas Vingegaard looks blankly into the middle-distance after a day spent in the yellow jersey on stage 2

Torstein Træen smiles in the yellow jersey

Torstein Traaen wore the yellow jersey but that stint – and his race as a whole – was short-lived due to a crash on the descent of the Tourmalet (Image credit: Getty Images)

Torstein Traaen wore the yellow jersey but that stint – and his race as a whole – was short-lived due to a crash on the descent of the Tourmalet

Remco Evenepoel looks focused

Remco Evenepoel gives a questioning look – his race so far has been dominated by the questions he posed of his teammate Florian Lipowitz, and the leadership tensions that are bubbling away (Image credit: Getty Images)

Remco Evenepoel gives a questioning look – his race so far has been dominated by the questions he posed of his teammate Florian Lipowitz, and the leadership tensions that are bubbling away

A soigneur pours a bottle of water over Aaron Gate

Another bottle of water goes over the head (Image credit: Getty Images)

Another bottle of water goes over the head

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