LES ANGLES, France (AP) — A large wildfire in the south of France prompted Tour de France organizers to ban fans from attending the finale of the third stage of cycling’s showpiece race on Monday.After a couple of days in Spain, the race enters France with a stage to the Pyrenees town of Les Angles, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from a fire that has burned large swathes of land.“The exceptionally large wildfire currently raging in the Pyrénées-Orientales is requiring a massive mobilization of wildfire-fighting resources, internal security forces, and all government agencies,” Tour de France organizers said. “The top priority remains the protection of people, property, and natural areas, as well as bringing the fire under control.”As a result, organizers decided that once the peloton reaches France for the last 40 kilometers, the publicity caravan — a 10-kilometer-long procession of sponsor vehicles that precedes the race — will not operate. Only riders and vehicles essential to the race will be allowed on the route, and spectators have been asked not to gather on the roadside or at the finish area.
The local prefect, Pierre Regnault de la Mothe, said that the order not to line the Tour route’s roads is an obligation and that violators risk being sanctioned. By Sunday night, the fire had raged over 4,500 hectares after starting Saturday evening in Trévillach. The prefect said five people had been slightly hurt.
