‘You’ve got to be pragmatic’ – how a cancelled French stage race sent Cycling Sheffield to Belgium
When a red weather warning cancelled the Tour des Deux-Sèvres with Cycling Sheffield already en route, team manager Dave Coulson turned the van around and pointed it at Belgium's kermesses instead. He talks to Jack Beavis about improvisation, development, and what a warming Europe means for British teams racing abroad.
The news reached Dave Coulson’s Cycling Sheffield team on Thursday 9 July as they made their way to Bressuire—a town some 100 kilometres north of La Rochelle, and 80 kilometres west of Futuroscope, the regular Tour de France stage town, in the country’s mid-west—ready for Saturday’s départ. The Tour des Deux-Sèvres, the five-stage race they were due to start, had been cancelled at short notice due to a red weather warning, all sport in the department called off over the weekend of 10 and 11 July as a precaution.
“We came off the Autoroute, sat down, had a think, and decided right, we’ll head back up to Calais, get a hotel, and then do something in the morning,” team manager Coulson explains of the hours following the announcement, speaking to The British Continental the day after the South Molton Grand Prix, the National Road Series race rounding off a busy week for the Elite Development Team.
There’s nothing you can do about it, you’ve just got to be pragmatic and accept it
Half a century on from Britain’s most famous heatwave, the summer of 2026 is leaving a mark of its own, rising temperatures across Europe taking their toll on everyday life with health, work, infrastructure, and recreation all affected by the intense heat.
Cycling has had to adapt too—the first week of its showpiece event, the Tour de France, taking place in temperatures nearing 40°C, riders dousing themselves in ice cold water the lasting image of its opening seven days. The race rode on regardless, its gravity meaning that in all but the most exceptional circumstances the show must go on, even amongst a current of dissenting voices and continued talk of a change of date for future editions. But not all cycling in France escaped revision.
“The race we were going to do, [the Tour des Deux-Sèvres], it’s a really good race, and a very good one for our team in that it’s not pan flat, but it’s not so hilly that if any of our youngsters aren’t going great they’re not going to have a hard time.
Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com – 07/06/2026 – Cycling – 2026 British Cycling Lloyds National Road Race Series – Open Tour of the Reservoir – Alex Foster (Cycling Sheffield)
“It’s a race that we can potentially get good results in, but also it’s a good experience and learning opportunity—this [was] the fourth or fifth consecutive year we’ve gone to that race,” he notes, a number of his incumbent crop of riders naming the race as a specific target back at the team’s launch in March with the likes of Adam Mitchell and James Hartley impressing in previous editions, aiding their cause as they progressed onto racing full time in the country.
“There’s nothing you can do about it, you’ve just got to be pragmatic and accept it. These things happen, albeit that’s the first time I’ve ever experienced something like that,” Coulson says philosophically, the decision to head to Belgium one that made sense for the team on all levels—the country’s famous kermesses offering valuable race experience and a chance to test the legs in a highly competitive environment at short notice.
“Anybody that’s raced in Belgium, or been over there riding kermesses will know what they’re like and how accessible those races are,” he explains. “You just find them online and enter them. Rock up on the day, and it’s flat out from the flag dropping—it’s great experience.
The alternative would have been to come home having spent a lot of money for nothing, so it worked out well
“It was second best to what we should have been doing, but the alternative would have been to come home having spent a lot of money for nothing, so it worked out well. I think the lads enjoyed it, we got some good results. Some of the riders got more out of it in terms of results than others, but those that aren’t especially suited to those kind of races, they’re definitely going to get form out of it—riding four kermesses back to back is a pretty big workload and it’s always good experience racing in Belgium. It’s kind of simple, but very very hard, very fast. It’s a good learning experience for any rider.”
The Belgian detour was not Cycling Sheffield’s first trip abroad this season, a number of riders having crossed the Channel to race in Belgium back in May. A second trip to France followed in August, the team travelling to Brittany for the four-stage L’Estivale Bretonne after a short rest period and the Yorkshire U23 Classic, part of the U23 Open National Road Series, in which Alex Foster leads the standings. Brittany proved the sterner education: against an Elite Nationale field, Foster was the team’s best finisher in 90th.
“All being well we’re in Italy in September for some races. I say all being well—we didn’t go last year because after our last race in France, we got too much illness and injury. It just wasn’t viable for us to go. But hopefully, we’ll be in a better position this year by the end of August, early September, and we’ll be going over there,” Coulson adds.
Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com – 16/06/2026 – Cycling – 2026 British Cycling Lloyds National Circuit Series – Fort Vale Open Colne Grand Prix – Denholm Edwards (Cycling Sheffield)
Racing abroad in a warming Europe
Cycling Sheffield have been at the forefront of British teams exposing their riders to racing in Europe since their inception over a decade ago, the experiences helping to develop their riders as they aim to move on in the sport—races carefully selected with such in mind. So what do the rising temperatures mean in practical terms for such arrangements?
I’m no expert on these things, but maybe this is going to become more common
“I’m no expert on these things, but maybe this is going to become more common,” Coulson muses when asked if this experience will make him reconsider a trip to France next July.
“At the moment, no,” he states after some thought.
“This weather isn’t totally unprecedented, but yeah, I’m kind of hoping that it’s a little bit of a one-off. That race, the weather’s always pretty hot, typically sort of low 30s. But I imagine that one of the problems has been that it’s been very hot and dry for so long.
“I won’t forget what’s happened this year, and maybe I’ll send a few emails in the weeks leading up to the same race next year.”
Coulson’s emails may well become more frequent as the planet continues to heat up. But his pragmatic approach to the team’s plans, alongside his vast experience, ensured that this July the journey to Europe was still a valuable one for his riders.
The real results of their time in Belgium are still to come, and 90th in Brittany will not trouble anyone’s season. The calendar has moved on since—the Yorkshire U23 Classic, and a North Yorkshire Grand Prix that brought the Rapha Super-League to a close on 16 August—and Italy waits in September. Whether the weather permits is, increasingly, not Coulson’s call.
The news reached Dave Coulson’s Cycling Sheffield team on Thursday 9 July as they made their way to Bressuire—a town some 100 kilometres north of La Rochelle, and 80 kilometres west of Futuroscope, the regular Tour de France stage town, in the country’s mid-west—ready for Saturday’s départ. The Tour des Deux-Sèvres, the five-stage race they were due to start, had been cancelled at short notice due to a red weather warning, all sport in the department called off over the weekend of 10 and 11 July as a precaution.
“We came off the Autoroute, sat down, had a think, and decided right, we’ll head back up to Calais, get a hotel, and then do something in the morning,” team manager Coulson explains of the hours following the announcement, speaking to The British Continental the day after the South Molton Grand Prix, the National Road Series race rounding off a busy week for the Elite Development Team.
Half a century on from Britain’s most famous heatwave, the summer of 2026 is leaving a mark of its own, rising temperatures across Europe taking their toll on everyday life with health, work, infrastructure, and recreation all affected by the intense heat.
Cycling has had to adapt too—the first week of its showpiece event, the Tour de France, taking place in temperatures nearing 40°C, riders dousing themselves in ice cold water the lasting image of its opening seven days. The race rode on regardless, its gravity meaning that in all but the most exceptional circumstances the show must go on, even amongst a current of dissenting voices and continued talk of a change of date for future editions. But not all cycling in France escaped revision.
“The race we were going to do, [the Tour des Deux-Sèvres], it’s a really good race, and a very good one for our team in that it’s not pan flat, but it’s not so hilly that if any of our youngsters aren’t going great they’re not going to have a hard time.
“It’s a race that we can potentially get good results in, but also it’s a good experience and learning opportunity—this [was] the fourth or fifth consecutive year we’ve gone to that race,” he notes, a number of his incumbent crop of riders naming the race as a specific target back at the team’s launch in March with the likes of Adam Mitchell and James Hartley impressing in previous editions, aiding their cause as they progressed onto racing full time in the country.
“There’s nothing you can do about it, you’ve just got to be pragmatic and accept it. These things happen, albeit that’s the first time I’ve ever experienced something like that,” Coulson says philosophically, the decision to head to Belgium one that made sense for the team on all levels—the country’s famous kermesses offering valuable race experience and a chance to test the legs in a highly competitive environment at short notice.
“Anybody that’s raced in Belgium, or been over there riding kermesses will know what they’re like and how accessible those races are,” he explains. “You just find them online and enter them. Rock up on the day, and it’s flat out from the flag dropping—it’s great experience.
“It was second best to what we should have been doing, but the alternative would have been to come home having spent a lot of money for nothing, so it worked out well. I think the lads enjoyed it, we got some good results. Some of the riders got more out of it in terms of results than others, but those that aren’t especially suited to those kind of races, they’re definitely going to get form out of it—riding four kermesses back to back is a pretty big workload and it’s always good experience racing in Belgium. It’s kind of simple, but very very hard, very fast. It’s a good learning experience for any rider.”
The Belgian detour was not Cycling Sheffield’s first trip abroad this season, a number of riders having crossed the Channel to race in Belgium back in May. A second trip to France followed in August, the team travelling to Brittany for the four-stage L’Estivale Bretonne after a short rest period and the Yorkshire U23 Classic, part of the U23 Open National Road Series, in which Alex Foster leads the standings. Brittany proved the sterner education: against an Elite Nationale field, Foster was the team’s best finisher in 90th.
“All being well we’re in Italy in September for some races. I say all being well—we didn’t go last year because after our last race in France, we got too much illness and injury. It just wasn’t viable for us to go. But hopefully, we’ll be in a better position this year by the end of August, early September, and we’ll be going over there,” Coulson adds.
Racing abroad in a warming Europe
Cycling Sheffield have been at the forefront of British teams exposing their riders to racing in Europe since their inception over a decade ago, the experiences helping to develop their riders as they aim to move on in the sport—races carefully selected with such in mind. So what do the rising temperatures mean in practical terms for such arrangements?
“I’m no expert on these things, but maybe this is going to become more common,” Coulson muses when asked if this experience will make him reconsider a trip to France next July.
“At the moment, no,” he states after some thought.
“This weather isn’t totally unprecedented, but yeah, I’m kind of hoping that it’s a little bit of a one-off. That race, the weather’s always pretty hot, typically sort of low 30s. But I imagine that one of the problems has been that it’s been very hot and dry for so long.
“I won’t forget what’s happened this year, and maybe I’ll send a few emails in the weeks leading up to the same race next year.”
Coulson’s emails may well become more frequent as the planet continues to heat up. But his pragmatic approach to the team’s plans, alongside his vast experience, ensured that this July the journey to Europe was still a valuable one for his riders.
The real results of their time in Belgium are still to come, and 90th in Brittany will not trouble anyone’s season. The calendar has moved on since—the Yorkshire U23 Classic, and a North Yorkshire Grand Prix that brought the Rapha Super-League to a close on 16 August—and Italy waits in September. Whether the weather permits is, increasingly, not Coulson’s call.
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