Why Tour de France Riders Are Obsessed With Cooling | GCN Tech Show Ep. 446

This week on the GCN Tech Show, we dive into the extreme science of thermoregulation and why Tour de France riders are obsessed with pre-cooling hacks like ice lollies and arm-submerging tubs. We explore the controversial UCI ban on "ice socks" for aerodynamic reasons and whether the "fun police" have gone too far during a heatwave. Plus, we take a look at the brand-new Canyon Speedmax, lightweight Tactic hubs, and the usual selection of stunning bikes in the Bike Vault. 🏆 Enter our Precision Fuel & Hydration Giveaway! 👉 https://gcn.eu/PF&HcompetitionJuly2026 Chapters: ⏱️ 00:00 - Intro 00:32 - Why Tour De France Riders are Obsessed with Cooling 02:38 - The Science of Pre-Cooling 05:54 - The UCI "Ice Sock" Ban Explained 09:20 - How You Can Stay Cool on Summer Rides 10:57 - Hot Tech: Spies from the Peloton 13:34 - The New Canyon Speedmax 15:53 - GCN’s New Eyewear Partner: POC 17:28 - Comment of the Week 24:15 - Bike Vault Useful Links: GCN Tech Uploader 👉 https://gcn.eu/techuploader Subscribe so you don’t miss a thing 👉 https://gcntech.co/subscribe Insurance: Viewers in the USA and UK can explore GCN Insurance products 👉 https://gcn.eu/GCNinsurance Sign Up To The GCN Newsletter 👉 https://gcn.eu/Newsletter Visit the GCN Shop 👉 https://gcn.eu/gcnshop GCN WhatsApp Channel 👉 https://gcn.eu/GCNwhatsapp GCN Instagram Broadcast Channel 👉 https://gcn.eu/instagrambroadcast Join the GCN Club on Zwift and ride with us! 👉 https://gcn.eu/GCNClubRides The UCI has banned ice socks in time trials because they act as "aero fairings," despite temperatures hitting 40°C—do you think they’ve gone too far, or should aero rules always come first? Let us know your thoughts and your ultimate hack for staying cool on the bike in the comments below! 👇 Watch more on GCN Tech... 📹 https://youtu.be/RDJTHxStLak 📹 Watch our Editor’s Choice Playlist 👉 https://gcntech.co/EditorsChoice 📹 Watch the latest GCN Tech Show 👉 https://gcntech.co/GCNTechShow 🎵 Music - licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵 #gcntech #gcn #cycling #roadcycling #roadbike #bike #bikes #bikelife #biketech 📸 Photos - © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Sprint Cycling Agency Brought to you by the world’s biggest cycling channel, the Global Cycling Network (GCN), GCN Tech is the only channel you need for all things bike tech – past, present and future. Simply put, we’re obsessed with tech: we seek out and showcase the best in bikes, components, tech, accessories, upgrades and more from races and events, tech shows and product launches across the globe to bring you the best in road bike technology. We’ve got great maintenance videos to help you get the most from your bike; pro-bike tours from all the biggest races; special features and the weekly GCN Tech Show! Thanks to our sponsors: Canyon Bikes: http://gcn.eu/-Canyon Orbea Bikes: http://gcn.eu/Orbea Pinarello Bikes: https://gcn.eu/Pinarello Topeak Tools: http://gcn.eu/Topeak CamelBak: https://gcn.eu/Camelbak Pirelli Tyres: https://gcn.eu/Pirelli Hunt Bike Wheels: https://gcn.eu/Hunt Wahoo Fitness: http://gcn.eu/Wahoo-Fitness Park Tool: http://gcn.eu/-parktool Selle Italia: https://gcn.eu/SelleItalia Zwift: https://gcn.eu/Zwift Gtechniq: https://gcn.eu/Gtechniq Core Body Temperature: https://gcn.eu/corebodytemp Precision Fuel & Hydration: https://gcn.eu/precisionhydration Elitewheels: https://gcn.eu/Elitewheels CeramicSpeed: https://gcn.eu/GCNCeramicSpeed HJC Sports: https://gcn.eu/hjcsports Shimano: https://gcn.eu/shimano Cyclowax: https://gcntech.co/cyclowax Sena: https://gcn.eu/Senacycling Princeton Carbon Works: https://gcn.eu/princetoncarbonworks P1 Race Technologies: https://gcn.eu/p1racetechnologies POC: https://gcn.eu/POC Watch our sister channels: Global Cycling Network - https://www.youtube.com/@gcn GCN Racing - https://www.youtube.com/@gcnracing Global Triathlon Network - https://www.youtube.com/@gtn GCN Italia - https://www.youtube.com/@gcnitalia GCN en Español - https://www.youtube.com/@gcnenespanol GCN auf Deutsch - https://www.youtube.com/@gcnaufdeutsch GCN en Français - https://www.youtube.com/@gcnenfrancais GCN Training - https://www.youtube.com/@gcntraining Global Mountain Bike Network - https://youtube.com/@gmbn GMBN Racing - https://youtube.com/@gmbnracing GMBN Tech - https://www.youtube.com/@gmbntech Electric Mountain Bike Network - https://www.youtube.com/@embn