Tour de France final stage shortened as wildfires pull security teams
The Paris finale was cut from 133km to 89km after France shifted security officers to wildfire-hit areas in the southwest.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
The Tour de France final stage was shortened and rerouted after French authorities reassigned security personnel to help respond to wildfires in the southwest, race organisers said. The change matters because the Paris finale requires heavy policing, and officials said a smaller route would be easier to secure.
Stage 21, the race’s traditional closing day in Paris, was cut from 133km to 89km, according to the Amaury Sport Organisation, which runs the Tour. Riders will now begin on the Champs-Elysees instead of starting in Thoiry, west of the capital.
Why was the Tour de France final stage shortened?
The Amaury Sport Organisation said emergency services were fully engaged against fires affecting France, especially the Gironde region, while internal security forces were securing affected areas and protecting residents. The organisation said France’s Ministry of the Interior decided to redeploy some officers who had been assigned to the final stage so they could support wildfire response efforts.
Shortening the course reduces the number of roads, junctions and spectator areas that local officials must protect. A shorter race footprint gives authorities more room to shift personnel away from Paris without cancelling the Tour’s closing event.
Al Jazeera, citing Reuters and The Associated Press, reported that more than 267,000 people have been forced from their homes by wildfires in France and Spain. The report said Bordeaux airport had been closed and that the French government warned against road or rail travel to the affected area.
What will the new Paris route include?
The revised stage will still finish on the Champs-Elysees, the avenue long associated with the Tour’s closing sprint. Organisers said riders will complete two additional circuits there before heading out toward the Montmartre climb.
The Montmartre section has become a newer feature of major racing in Paris. Al Jazeera reported that the circuit was used during the 2024 Paris Olympics and was added to the Tour de France final-stage route in 2025.
The area has drawn large crowds and can hold many spectators, according to the report. Keeping Montmartre in the shortened stage preserves one of the most visible parts of the Paris route while removing the longer approach from west of the city.
How have wildfires affected the race?
The final-stage change was not the first wildfire-related disruption during this year’s Tour. Earlier in the race, fans were asked not to attend the final 40km of stage 3 because first responders were needed in the area, Al Jazeera reported.
Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar is set to win a record-equalling fifth Tour de France after controlling the three-week race, according to the report. The shortened final stage keeps the ceremonial Paris finish in place while France directs security and emergency resources toward the fires.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.