Tour de France organisers have been forced to make emergency changes to the conclusion of stage three due to wildfires, telling fans not to attend and limiting access to the route.With high temperatures in southern Europe, a fire in the French region of Pyrénées-Orientales — covering around 1,400 hectares — has been ablaze since Saturday evening. The fire itself is around 70 kilometers from the planned finish, but affects one of the key mountain passes providing access to the race.Speaking to France TV, race director Christian Prudhomme said the race publicity caravan would not be allowed to pass over the final 40km, that passage would only be granted to essential race vehicles, and that fans should not watch from the roadside when the race enters France.Monday’s 195.9 km mountainous stage is set to finish with a sharp 1.7km uphill to Les Angles, after several categorised climbs over the course of the day, with the race passing from Spain into France as the symbolic end of the Barcelona Grand Depart.
“I myself spoke to the prefect on the phone also in the afternoon,” said Prudhomme. “And we agreed, at the end of the exceptional and appalling conditions of the fire that reigns in the Périnées-Oréorientales, not to allow the caravan to pass over the last 40 kilometers on the final part in France, to limit the passage to the runners and to the essential organisation vehicles. We invite the public not to come to the edge of the race or to the finish site.“We obviously think first of all of the populations who are affected by the fire, of all those who have to move, and then we also think about the people who would be here to host the Tour. Also to the people of Les Angles, but I thank them in advance for their understanding. With exceptional fires, exceptional measures on the Tour, the first thing is the protection of the people, of course.”Temperatures across the Pyrenees have hovered around 35°C (95°F) over recent days, raising the possibility of wildfires. Heat is expected to be a major issue in this Tour, with temperatures expected to rise even further over the coming days.The UCI’s Extreme Weather Protocol governs potential changes to the route, with measures such as the modification of start-finish times, neutralisation of sections of the stage, or even a complete cancellation, all available to organisers.Last year, another last-minute alteration was made at the Tour when stage 19 was shortened after an outbreak of contagious nodular dermatitis led to livestock being slaughtered on the original route. Organisers wanted to avoid any risk of contagion as the race passed through the valley.Team Visma-Lease A Bike’s Jonas Vingegaard currently wears the yellow jersey after two stages, while Mexico’s Isaac del Toro of UAE Team Emirates won his first Tour de France stage on Sunday afternoon.
