The Strade Bianche takes place on Saturday under the scorching Tuscan sun.

The tournament is traditionally held in early March, when temperatures are usually around 10°C (50°F) and cold rain often drenches the athletes and leaves their faces covered in mud. This time around, the athletes will face a different kind of extreme weather.

The women's race is scheduled to start at noon local time when the temperature is 33°C and finish at 4 pm when 37°C is forecast. The men's race will start at 1:45 p.m. local time and finish at 6:30 p.m., with temperatures expected to be slightly cooler at 34°C.

Meteorologists are predicting thunderstorms and cooler temperatures starting Tuesday in Italy, suggesting this will be the hottest week of the Italian summer. Next Saturday, temperatures in Milan-San Remo are expected to be 29°C.

Currently, riders are protected from dangerous weather by the UCI Extreme Weather Protocol. Options include changing the start and finish times, shortening the race distance, disabling parts of the race, or canceling it.

However, since Strade Bianche is the first race on the World Tour calendar, and with the risk of other races being cancelled due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, no one is expected to seek actions that would damage the race despite the high temperatures. It is expected that there will not be any. The fact that it is a one-day race also helps racers and teams accept and mitigate the heat.

"Extreme weather protocols are always talked about, but at the end of the day, it is still fair enough to run," Philippe Gilbert, often a spokesman for the peloton, said in an online video press conference on Friday.

"Everyone is used to these temperatures and we trained at home in the same conditions. If we can train, we can race. I support the idea of start, race."

The riders got a taste of the high temperatures and scorching Tuscan sun during the final recon ride on Thursday and Friday. Some teams left early to avoid the heat, while others rode in the morning, understanding the importance of hydration.

In the Strade Bianche, the men ran 63 km of the 184 km route on gravel roads, while the women ran 31.6 km of the 136 km race on gravel roads.

"In the recon ride, I drank three or four bottles during the 60 km. That will be the key," Gilbert said.

"I think if you don't drink one or two bottles, you can overheat and end the race, and in this extreme weather, once you go over the limit, your body will never recover.

"Drinks will be really important. We'll be running slow on the steep climbs and you'll feel your body heat. It will be a really special race."