Oh boy, here we go again. It seems like more and more races are being affected by heat, wildfires or other extreme weather. We saw it earlier this year at the Tour Down Under and again at the men’s Tour de France.

Now, the Tour de France Femmes could take a different route to Mont Ventoux next Friday if wildfire conditions in southern France worsen. The alternate route details were first reported by the French news outlet 20 Minutes.

Stage 7 modifications

The local authorities have asked race organizer ASO to prepare an alternate course for Stage 7 because of the region’s elevated fire risk. Authorities said that, during a period when surrounding forests are at their most vulnerable, the original route through the Dentelles de Montmirail massif may need to be avoided.

“In the event of wildfire risk being judged extreme, an alternate route will be implemented,” the prefecture said. Instead of crossing the Dentelles de Montmirail and the Col de la Madeleine sector, the peloton would leave Beaumes-de-Venise and pass through Saint-Hippolyte-le-Graveyron, Caromb, Modène, Saint-Pierre-de-Vassols and Crillon-le-Brave before heading toward Mont Ventoux.

The finish

The summit finish on the “Giant of Provence” would remain unchanged, but riders would no longer tackle the Category 2 Col de Suzette, which is included in the original route about 20 kilometres before the final climb. Btw, this is the first time that this iteration of the women’s Tour has gone up it. But, women have raced on Mont Ventoux before. In the 2006 Grande Boucle Féminine, for example, British star Nicole Cooke won atop the legendary climb.

What’s next

Officials will carry out a wildfire risk assessment on Tuesday before deciding whether the alternate course is needed for Friday’s stage. The same evaluation will also determine whether Thursday’s cyclosportive, expected to attract about 12,000 amateur cyclists, can follow its planned route.
Wildfires have already disrupted this year’s men’s Tour de France. One stage in the Pyrénées-Orientales was held without roadside spectators, for example. Stage 21 into Paris was shortened because police and other security resources were redeployed to assist with wildfire response efforts.

Either way, the Tour de France Femmes gets underway on Saturday. Start lists are finalized and there are six Canucks racing, and each one of them could get a big result, either on the flats, the hills or the overall. It’s gonna be a sweet nine days of racing.