Tour de France organizers shortened today's 19th stage from 129.9 kilometers to just 95 kilometers on Thursday evening, and two category climbs have been removed from the route.
Today's stage would have included five category climbs, starting at Côte d'Héry-sur-Ugine (11.3km with a 5.1% gradient) and Col des Saisies (13.7km with a 6.4% gradient).
These two climbs will be removed from the route because an outbreak of lumpy skin disease discovered in a herd in the Col des Saisies area has led to the culling of the animals. "Taking into account the difficulties of local farmers and the desire to ensure the smooth running of the race, it has been decided, in agreement with the relevant authorities, to change the route of stage 19 and avoid the climb to the Col des Saisies," the organisers said.
The race still starts in Albertville, followed by a seven-kilometer neutral section before the official start, which bypasses the first two climbs and rejoins the original route at kilometer 52.4.
This is not the first time such a crucial stage of the Tour has been shortened. In 2019, the stage that started in Albertville was also shortened even further. After an avalanche, organizers were forced to stop stage 19 at the top of the Col de l'Iseran, and ice and mudslides forced organizers to cancel more than half of stage 20, leaving only the 59-kilometer final climb to Val Thorens.
