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Race organisers have shortened the finale of the Tour de France in Paris on Sunday, after security forces were redeployed away from the capital to help battle wildfires near Bordeaux.
The Tour de France traditionally finishes with a processional ride to the Champs-Elysees, where the winner of the yellow jersey is crowned.
The event draws tens of thousands of spectators to Paris, but security personnel initially planned to protect the race have now been sent south to support overwhelmed fire services.
It means the route will be reduced from 133km to 89km.
“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 Paris police and the event’s organisers said in a joint statement.
“In light of this, the Interior Ministry 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.”
Fiirefighters spray water in a burning forest in the Lège-Cap-Ferret region (AP)
Wildfires in Spain and south-west France, fanned by high winds, have led to widespread evacuation orders in and around Bordeaux, the country’s ninth-largest city. Nearly 200,000 people have been told to leave their homes across France and a further 73,000 in Spain.
“We expect a fight that will be long and very difficult,” said French interior minister Laurent Nunez, who added the government would “reorganise our response so we can fight from the ground and prevent it from advancing toward Bordeaux”.
The route alteration will not affect the result of the race’s general classification, after Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar effectively secured a record-equalling fifth yellow jersey on Saturday. Sunday’s stage 21 is a truce, contested only by a sprint finish, and will not change the overall standings.