Bahrain Victorious faced a significant setback at the Vuelta a España when Antonio Tiberi, who was in fourth place overall, had to withdraw from the race on Sunday. Tiberi was trailing race leader Ben O’Connor by five minutes, marking one of the best Grand Tour seasons of his young career. He had finished fifth overall in the Giro d’Italia and was on course for another top-10 finish in the Vuelta.
However, extreme temperatures, soaring over 37°C (100°F), drastically affected Tiberi’s performance. His team reported that he had been suffering from heat stroke, experiencing lightheadedness and a high body temperature.
Heat exhaustion and heat stroke share similar symptoms. Heat exhaustion occurs when the body loses too much water and electrolytes through sweating, leading to weakness, fatigue, a high heart rate, and lightheadedness. Heat stroke, which can be life-threatening, happens when the body’s temperature exceeds 40°C (104°F).
Tiberi had worn the best young rider’s jersey during stages 4, 5, 7, and 8. Upon his withdrawal on stage 9, the jersey was passed to Florian Lipowitz of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. According to Tiberi, “This Vuelta was going really well from the beginning until two days ago. The legs were really good and especially after the Giro, having these feelings was super nice for me.”
“Wearing the white jersey was a really good moment; I was in really good shape, and the legs were super good,” he added. Unfortunately, the intense heat took its toll. “Yesterday, with this super hard stage from the beginning and especially in the heat, I suffered a lot with overheating. I tried to cool down the body with water and ice but it was not enough. The body said stop, the mind wanted to keep going but the body stopped and I couldn’t do anything.”
The team tested Tiberi for COVID-19, but he dismissed those concerns. “Already today I feel normal and feel well. Yesterday was just a bad day.”
Main photo credit: Unipublic/Sprint Cycling Agency
