Tour de France final stage shortened as emergency teams tackle wildfires

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkRiders will start a shortened stage 21 of the Tour de France on the Champs-Elysees [File: Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters]By Adam Hancock, Reuters and The Associated PressPublished On 26 Jul 202626 Jul 2026The final stage of the Tour de France has been shortened and rerouted, with first responders diverted from Paris to tackle wildfires that are raging in the southwest of France.Sunday’s traditional stage in Paris has been shortened from 133km (82 miles) to just 89km (55 miles), with the riders starting on the Champs-Elysees rather than in Thoiry, west of the French capital.Recommended Stories list of 2 itemslist 1 of 2Photos: Wildfires ravage historic forest near Parislist 2 of 2Spain and France battle raging wildfires, face high risk of moreend of listThe change has been deemed necessary because multiple security officers have been diverted to the fires. The new route will leave a smaller race footprint for local officials to secure.“As numerous wildfires are currently affecting France, particularly the Gironde region, emergency services are fully mobilised to combat the blazes, while internal security forces are working to secure the affected areas and protect the population,” the Amaury Sport Organisation, which organises the tour, said in a statement.“In light of this, the Ministry of the Interior has decided to redeploy a portion of the internal security forces initially mobilised to ensure security for the final stage of the Tour de France, in order to reinforce the response efforts in the areas affected by the wildfires,” the statement added.More than 267,000 people have been forced from their homes by wildfires raging in France and Spain, with Bordeaux airport closed and the French government warning against all road or rail travel to the area.The Montmartre climb was first added to the tour’s final stage route in 2025 [File: Abdul Saboor/Reuters]The newly designed stage 21 will still end along the famed Champs-Elysees, with the riders taking two extra circuits of the road before heading out for the Montmartre climb.The Montmartre circuit has proven to be popular after it was used in the 2024 Paris Olympics and then added to the 2025 Tour de France. The area can accommodate large gatherings of fans, who turn the area into a party atmosphere.Earlier in the Tour de France, fans were asked to stay away from the final 40km of stage 3 because of wildfires and the need to deploy first responders to the area.Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar is set to secure a record-equalling fifth Tour de France after dominating the three-week race.