Tour de France organisers have announced that they are shortening Sunday’s final stage due to the wildfires ravaging southwest France.
The news came after the interior ministry had said that it would need to redeploy officers initially mobilised to provide security for the race, to areas affected by the fire.
“In a spirit of national solidarity with the areas and communities affected, it was decided to adapt the route for the final stage from Thoiry to Paris,” organisers ASO said in a statement.
The 21st stage was due to last 133km and begin west of Paris in Thoiry.
Beachgoers rest on the beach of Moutchic on the shore of Lake Lacanau as clouds of smoke rise into the sky from the Gironde wildfire
Instead, it will start on the Champs Elysees in Paris and take in a couple of extra laps around the famous avenue before joining the main Montmartre circuit, and will last only 89km.
The wildfires around the Arcachon Bay area near Bordeaux in the Gironde region, and around Biscarrosse in the Landes, have destroyed more than 36,000 hectares of wooded area.
Thousands of people have been evacuated, many from tourist spots.
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