Sunday's Tour De France Ninth Stage Shortened Due to 'Intense Heatwave' - New Straits Times Online
- On Saturday, Tour organizers ASO announced Sunday's ninth stage from Malemort to Ussel will be shortened by 30km due to extreme heat in Correze. The reduction to 155.5km addresses forecasted temperatures exceeding 40°C.
- Authorities placed Correze on "red alert due to an exceptionally intense heatwave," forcing ASO to adapt the route. Organizers stated the change ensures racing under conditions compatible with the severe weather warning.
- The route was reduced from 185.5km to 155.5km by cutting a hilly loop, yet four categorized climbs remain. One climb spans 4.8km with an average gradient of 7.7 percent, maintaining significant difficulty.
- Soudal Quick-Step sprinter Tim Merlier supported the decision, noting cooling riders during a week of racing above 35°C is difficult. "It's hard to have enough drinks and ice to cool down," Merlier said.
- This marks the second time ASO has adapted stages this year. Previously, organizers restricted fan access at Les Angles due to wildfires, while ProCyclingStats records show stage four into Foix was the hottest since 2007.
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How can the yellow jersey race adapt to the effects of warming, already so devastating this summer? The Jurassien Yannis Voisard, racer of Team Tudor, talks about it with Géraldine Pflieger, professor at the University of Geneva, specialist in climate policyThis is a historic first for the Grande Boucle: this Sunday's stage has been shortened by 30 kilometers due to the heat wave. Between Malemort and Ussel, in Corrèze, Mathieu van der Poel (Alp…
Position taken by the union before the ninth stage, already shortened for the canicule
Also the Tour de France 2026 continues to deal with the climatic emergency: the wave of extreme heat that is suffocating Europe does not hint to decrease its intensity, making the conditions almost unworkable for cyclists. After the protest of several runners in recent days, today the organizers have decided at least to make [...] L'articolo Extreme hot at the Tour de France: shortened stop, red alert and 43 degrees peaks along the route comes f…
The 9th stage of the Tour is a – shortened – hilly stage of 155.5 kilometers from Malemort to Ussel.
Tour de France organizers have never done this before. But because of the heatwave, they have no choice. The ninth stage is being shortened.
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