Wildfires: Final Tour de France stage shortened
· Yahoo Sports
Sunday's final stage of the Tour de France has been shortened to 89 kilometres and will be effectively limited to Paris because emergency services are needed to deal with wildfires in the country.
Organizers said on Saturday that the stage will have 44 kilometres less than the originally planned 133km from Thiory to the Champs-Élysées in the capital, with the finish on the famous avenue now also the start.
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"As numerous fires are currently affecting mainland France, particularly Gironde, emergency services are fully mobilized to combat the disasters, while internal security forces are contributing to securing the affected areas and protecting the population," a joint statement from the Paris Police Prefecture and the Tour de France organizing team said.
"In this context, the Minister of the Interior has decided to redeploy part of the internal security forces initially mobilized to ensure the security of the final stage of the Tour de France, in order to strengthen the measures in place in the territories affected by the fires.
"In a spirit of national solidarity with the affected territories and populations, it has been decided to adapt the route of the final stage connecting Thoiry to Paris, on Sunday, July 26, 2026."
The statement on X said that the team presentation will be held in Thiory before riders will be taken to Paris by bus.
The 21st stage will now start with two laps on the Champs-Élysées before joining the Montmatre circuit and finishing on Champs-Élysées as usual. It is expected to end at 7.45pm (1745 GMT).
"The Paris police prefect and the Tour de France director salute the commitment of all the actors mobilized in the fight against the fires and express their full solidarity with the affected populations," the statement said.
"They thank the riders, teams, local authorities, partners, and the public for their understanding regarding these exceptional measures necessitated by the situation."
Wildfires had also affected the early stages of the three-week race in the Pyrenees region.
The final stage is usually procession and Slovenian star Tadej Pogačar set to clinch a record-equalling fifth Tour title.