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Tour de France final stage shortened due to wildfire emergency
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Disasters & Emergencies

Tour de France final stage shortened due to wildfire emergency

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement New plan
  • The final stage of the Tour de France, from Thoiry to the Champs-Élysées, has been shortened due to the need for law enforcement and firefighters to combat widespread wildfires.
  • Organizers have reduced the stage to 89 kilometers, maintaining three climbs of Montmartre and adding two circuits on the Champs-Élysées, with the actual start in Paris.
  • The decision reflects solidarity with emergency services battling fires that have burned nearly 20,000 hectares and forced 140,000 evacuations, particularly in the southwest.

The final stage of the Tour de France will be significantly altered, shortened to 89 kilometers, as French authorities divert essential security and firefighting resources to combat devastating wildfires. The original route from Thoiry to the Champs-Élysées will now see cyclists bused directly to Paris for a modified circuit race.

Organizers confirmed the stage will include three ascents of Montmartre and two laps of the Champs-Élysées, but the initial kilometers, traditionally a celebratory procession, have been cut. The actual race start will be in Paris at 5:50 PM local time.

This decision underscores the severity of the ongoing fire crisis in France, which has scorched nearly 20,000 hectares and led to the evacuation of 140,000 people, primarily in the country's southwest. The Ministry of the Interior has redeployed security forces initially assigned to the Tour to bolster firefighting efforts in affected regions.

The Ministry of the Interior has decided to deploy part of its security forces initially mobilized to ensure security in the Tour to reinforce the devices involved in the territories affected by the fires.

— OrganizersThe organizers explained the rationale behind the stage shortening, highlighting the reallocation of resources.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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