Tour de France final stage shortened to 89 km as wildfire response pulls security from Paris circuit
The 21st stage of the Tour de France will start and finish on the Champs-Élysées on Sunday but will run only 89 kilometres instead of the planned 133, after the interior ministry redeployed security forces to fight wildfires in southwestern France.
Route change forced by wildfire crisis
The final stage of the 2026 Tour de France has been redrawn hours before the riders take the start. Originally set to cross the Yvelines and Hauts-de-Seine departments before entering Paris, the stage will now begin directly on the Champs-Élysées at 17:50 and cover a shortened loop of 89 kilometres, down from 133. The interior ministry ordered the change on Saturday to reassign police and emergency personnel to the Gironde department, where large fires are burning in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.
The Minister of the Interior has decided to redeploy part of the internal security forces initially mobilised to secure the last stage of the Tour de France, in order to reinforce the resources engaged in the territories affected by the fires.
The three ascents of the Butte Montmartre (category 4, 1 km at 6.5%) that were introduced last year remain on the route. Riders will complete two additional laps on the Champs-Élysées to make up the circuit, with the finish expected around 19:45.
The Montmartre rematch
Tadej Pogacar arrives on the final day with five stage wins already in this edition and a clear shot at a sixth. Last year he lost the Champs-Élysées sprint to Wout van Aert, who is absent from the 2026 race, leaving the Slovenian as the strongest favourite. The 10 kilometres from the summit of the last Montmartre climb to the finish line keep the door open for punchy finishers and fast men who can handle short hills.
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5), Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a bike), Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) and Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) are all named as contenders. Green jersey holder Mads Pedersen could also feature if the race comes back together.
- Interior ministry orders redeployment of security forces; Tour organisers agree to shorten stage from 133 km to 89 km.
- Fictitious start on the Champs-Élysées; riders begin the urban circuit.
- Peloton tackles three ascents of Butte Montmartre (1 km, 6.5%).
- Expected finish on the Champs-Élysées.
Weather adds a variable
Rain is forecast for the capital on Sunday afternoon, which would make the cobbled finishing straight and the descent from Montmartre slippery. Ouest France reported that wet conditions could raise tension in the peloton, particularly if the reduced distance encourages aggressive riding from the start.
What the stage loses
By removing the approach through the western suburbs, the revised route strips out a traditional transition phase and compresses the racing into a tight urban circuit. The change was agreed between the Tour organisation and the interior ministry on Saturday, with the organisers accepting the shortened format as the price of keeping the Paris finale on the calendar. Television coverage on France 2, France 3 and Eurosport will proceed as scheduled.
