Tour de France final stage cut to 89 km as security forces diverted to wildfires in Gironde
Sunday's final stage from Thoiry to Paris will be reduced from 133 km to 89 km, with riders bussed to the Champs-Elysees start, after the interior ministry reassigned police to wildfires that have burned 36,000 hectares and forced 200,000 evacuations.
The 21st and final stage of the 113th Tour de France will be altered from the original 133-kilometre route to a 89-kilometre circuit entirely within Paris, organisers ASO and Paris police announced on Saturday. The change follows a decision by the French interior ministry to redeploy security forces initially assigned to the race to fire-ravaged areas in southwestern France, where emergency services are fully stretched battling wildfires.
In a spirit of national solidarity with the areas and communities affected, it was decided to adapt the route for the final stage from Thoiry to Paris.
How the stage will now run
The presenting town of Thoiry, west of Paris, will still host the team presentation at 15:40 local time, but the riders will no longer pedal from there to the capital. Instead they will board buses and be driven directly to the final circuit on the Champs-Elysees.
The caravan will depart from Thoiry at 13:20 headed directly to the final circuit in Paris. The presentation of teams and riders will take place at 15:40 in Thoiry. After the presentation, the peloton will travel by bus directly to the final circuit on the Champs-Elysees.
The official race start will be given from the original finish line on the famous avenue at 17:50. The peloton will complete two extra laps around the Champs-Elysees, bringing the total to six, before heading into the Montmartre circuit, which includes a triple ascent of the Butte Montmartre. The finish is scheduled for 19:45.
- Caravan departs Thoiry
- Team presentation in Thoiry
- Race starts on Champs-Elysees
- Expected finish
Wildfire crisis saps security resources
The interior ministry's redeployment decision was driven by the severity of the wildfires near the Arcachon Bay in Gironde and around Biscarrosse in the Landes region. The blazes have consumed more than 36,000 hectares of forest and forced the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people, many from tourist areas.
As numerous wildfires are currently affecting France, particularly the Gironde region, emergency services are fully mobilised to combat the blazes, while internal security forces are working to secure the affected areas and protect the population.
The joint statement from the Paris Police Prefecture and ASO noted that the interior minister decided to withdraw a portion of the forces originally detailed to guard the Tour's final stage in order to reinforce the firefighting and security response.
Race context
Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, a four-time Tour winner, entered Saturday's stage 20 with a nearly insurmountable lead in his pursuit of a fifth title. While the stage modifications do not affect the overall classification, they will make for an unusual procession to the yellow jersey's traditional victory parade. Ecuador's Richard Carapaz won Saturday's queen stage on Alpe d'Huez, his second stage win of the week after triumphing at Orcières Merlettes, but Pogacar's general classification gap remains intact.
The organisers expressed admiration for all those fighting the fires and thanked riders, teams, local authorities, sponsors and the public for their understanding of what they called "these exceptional measures rendered necessary by the situation."
