Amid a heatwave across Europe, 184 cyclists rode 113 miles and climbed more than 8,500 feet during Stage 4 of this year’s Tour de France. Temperatures forced race organizers to relax regulations and allow greater assistance from team cars. Wildfires burning in the Pyrenees have also created problems: in the previous stage, officials barred spectators from the finish area due to smoke concerns. The disruptions underscore Europe’s climate challenge: the continent is warming at more than twice the global average rate.
Hard Numbers
Tour de Heat
Will Fitzpatrick
By Will FitzpatrickJuly 08, 2026
Will Fitzpatrick
Will Fitzpatrick is a multimedia reporter and producer at GZERO, where he does a little bit of everything: writing for the GZERO Daily, creating social videos, producing GZERO World, and whatever else the news cycle throws his way.
Before GZERO, Will worked in documentary film on both the production and post-production sides, including on Everest: The Other Side and on The First Wave. He has also directed and produced two short documentaries of his own. Outside the film world, Will has worked as a freelance journalist, with reporting that has taken him from the dhow workshops of Oman to the mountains of Patagonia, with plenty of stops in between. He’s especially interested in the niche, hard-to-reach, and underreported stories that reveal something bigger about how the world works.
Will studied economics and world politics at Hamilton College and received his Master’s in journalism from New York University. When he's not reporting, you can likely find Will tending to his oyster farm, on a bike, or somewhere outdoors.
