Tour de France final stage shortened as emergency teams tackle wildfires

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported, with Reuters and The Associated Press, that organisers have shortened and altered the final stage of the Tour de France because emergency and security personnel are being redirected to wildfire response efforts in southwestern France. The traditional Sunday finish in Paris will now cover 89km instead of 133km, and riders will begin on the Champs-Elysees rather than in Thoiry, west of the capital.

According to the report, the Amaury Sport Organisation said the Interior Ministry decided to reassign some internal security forces that had been planned for the race’s final stage. The organiser said firefighters and emergency services are heavily committed to wildfires, particularly in the Gironde region, while security forces are needed to protect affected communities and support the response.

The revised stage 21 is still expected to finish on the Champs-Elysees. Al Jazeera reported that riders will complete additional circuits there before going to the Montmartre climb, a feature that became popular after use during the 2024 Paris Olympics and its inclusion in the 2025 Tour de France. The adjustment is intended to reduce the area that local authorities must secure during one of cycling’s most watched annual events.

The article said wildfires in France and Spain have displaced more than 267,000 people, closed Bordeaux airport and prompted French government warnings against road or rail travel to the affected area. It also noted that fans were earlier asked to avoid the last 40km of stage 3 because emergency teams were needed elsewhere, and that Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar was poised to win a record-equalling fifth Tour de France.