Bad news for the Tour de France - Stage 19 cut to 95 kilometers due to animal disease outbreak

The Tour de France is set to take on stage 19 this Friday afternoon but the riders will find a shortened stage. The change has been made official by the organizers late evening after an extremely situation developed on the Col des Saisies, which was supposed to be tackled at the start of the stage.

"The discovery of an outbreak of contagious nodular dermatitis affecting cattle in a herd located specifically in the Col des Saisies has necessitated the culling of the animals. In light of the distress experienced by the affected farmers and in order to preserve the smooth running of the race, it has been decided, in agreement with the relevant authorities, to modify the route of Stage 19 (Albertville–La Plagne) and to avoid the ascent to the col des Saisies," organizers have shared on social media.

This comes as a large shock to the peloton taking into consideration how the stage is affected by outside conditions. However such a last-minute decision required a fast decision, and that was to eliminate the early climbs on the day. Instead, the riders will have a very small ride into the base of the Col du Pré - whilst the final three, and arguably most important climbs of the day, remain untouched. This will make it harder for the stage to have meaningful changes in the overall classification, and most likely make it more difficult for a breakaway to succeed.

"The ceremonial start will take place as planned at the exit of Albertville. After a 7 km parade, riders will head towards the D925, where the official start will be given. The race will then rejoin the original route shortly before Beaufort (at km 52.4 on the original schedule). Due to this change, which notably bypasses the Col des Saisies, the stage will now cover a total distance of 95 km instead of the originally planned 129,9 km. As a result, the start in the neutral zone will be given at 2:30 p.m., one hour later than originally scheduled".