Tour de France Final Stage Shortened Due to Wildfires

Organizers and police have announced that the final stage of the Tour de France, scheduled for Sunday, will be significantly shortened. This decision stems from the urgent need to redirect security forces to combat raging wildfires near Bordeaux, which have devastated large areas of forest and prompted mass evacuations.

In a joint statement, Paris police and the event's organizers cited a "spirit of national solidarity with the areas and communities affected" as the reason for adapting the route. The original Stage 21 was planned to run 133 kilometers from Thoiry to Paris. It has now been reduced to 89 kilometers, with the race set to begin with two laps on the Champs-Élysées before concluding as usual on the iconic avenue.

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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.

While the race route is altered, the team presentation will still take place in Thoiry before riders are transported to Paris by bus. The statement from authorities conveyed solidarity with those battling the fires and the affected populations. The wildfires, particularly around Arcachon Bay and Biscarrosse, have already destroyed over 36,000 hectares of forest and forced nearly 200,000 people to evacuate.

Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar, a four-time champion, has effectively secured his fifth Tour de France title in seven years, needing only to finish the adapted final stage. The shortening of the race underscores the severity of the wildfire crisis impacting southern Europe.

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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.