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15h ago

Tour de France Final Stage Shortened to Paris Loop After Security Redeployment

Redeployment of internal security to fight Gironde wildfires prompted organisers to shrink the finale to an 89 km Paris circuit to reduce the race's security footprint.

Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 20 - Le Bourg d'Oisans to Alpe d'Huez - Le Bourg d'Oisans, France - July 25, 2026 General view of cyclists in action as spectators cheer during stage 20 REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq

Overview

  • Organisers and the Paris police announced the route change in a joint statement on Saturday, July 25, saying teams will be presented in Thoiry and bused to Paris for a reconfigured 89 km Stage 21.
  • The revised course starts and finishes on the Champs-Élysées, adds two extra circuits of the avenue and includes the Montmartre loop used in recent Tours to keep the finish within Paris boundaries.
  • France’s Interior Ministry ordered a redeployment of some internal security forces so officers could be sent to reinforce firefighting and emergency response in the Gironde and southwest regions.
  • Large wildfires in southwest France and neighbouring Spain have forced mass evacuations and disrupted transport around Bordeaux, with reporting putting displaced people in the roughly 200,000 to more than 260,000 range and airports affected.
  • Organisers said the shortened, Paris-contained finale preserves the traditional procession and sprint finish and is not expected to change the overall general classification with Tadej Pogačar set to secure a fifth title.