BREAKING: Tour de France 2026 Stage 9 slashed by 30km as red heatwave alert forces emergency route change
CyclingSaturday, 11 July 2026 at 18:30
Stage 9 of the 2026 Tour de France has been shortened by 30 kilometres after Meteo-France placed the Correze department under a red heatwave alert.
Sunday’s stage from Malemort to Ussel will now cover 155.5 kilometres rather than the planned 185.5. The start has also been delayed until 1.45pm, with the finish expected at approximately 5.30pm.
How the Stage 9 route will change
The race will depart from its original route during the neutralised section before taking the D921 from Brive-la-Gaillarde directly towards Lanteuil. The peloton will join the retained portion of the course with 147.8 kilometres remaining to Ussel.
The diversion removes the opening 30 kilometres but leaves the majority of the planned stage intact. Organisers have not announced any further alterations to the competitive route.
“This decision has been made necessary by the exceptional weather conditions,” the Tour confirmed. “It aims to ensure that the race can take place under conditions compatible with the red heatwave alert.”
The revised start time also reduces the length of the racing day, although riders will still spend much of the afternoon competing during the most severe heat warning issued in France.
Heat concerns have followed Tour throughout opening week
The Stage 9 intervention follows repeated warnings and visible struggles during the Tour’s opening week. Tom Pidcock described himself as “cooked” by the temperatures on Stage 3, admitting he had never experienced such a difficult race in comparable heat after fading on the final climb to Les Angles.
Temperatures then exceeded 40°C on Stage 4 from Carcassonne to Foix. Additional water points were introduced and feeding regulations relaxed, while Pogacar described managing the conditions as a logistical nightmare for teams. He also criticised increasingly late stage starts which leave riders on the road during the hottest part of the afternoon.
Stage 6 over the Col du Tourmalet subsequently entered the red zone of the UCI’s Extreme Weather Protocol, with temperatures of up to 35°C forecast alongside the first major mountain test. The protocol allows measures including additional feeding and cooling opportunities, changes to start times and distances, neutralisation or cancellation.
The red alert in Correze has now forced the first alteration to the race route. Stage 9 will begin at 1.45pm and cover 155.5 kilometres, with the peloton joining the retained section of the original course at Lanteuil.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- It has been mentioned that Jonas looked like he tried to get on the wheels of Pogi and IDT and just couldn't do it. I rewatched where they attacked and for a sec Jonas attempted (sure looked it) to jump to the wheels...and after 2 cranks knew he cracked and couldn't catch them. After that he looked broken and used up. Either he is sick or Pogi and IDT are just better than him. Watch his face after they start gaining time and the Pogi takes off from IDT. I would say Jonas looked like a broken man racing for 2nd at best. And I think a few other riders could be better than he is at this TDF. Lipowitz, IDT, Sexis (maybe) as well as a few othersmd197511-07-2026
- Let me correct this for you. No lone rider except Pogi would have stayed out front like that. Why do I say that? Because Pogi has literally been in a situation where a team was trying to chase him down and they couldn't. Reality is that he is really that good.md197511-07-2026
- Yes, it gets hotter as the afternoon progresses. Which is why it's unfortunate that the stage will be starting later than scheduled, wasting the less-hot part of the afternoon.Hills3311-07-2026
- Then do like most spectators at amateur races, just hang around at the finish.Jumpyjohn11-07-2026
- Correze has a refreshing 17 predicted for the night and a max of 37, same as a lot of places have been for a while and way below the last heatwave a few weeks ago. It took temps over 40 in the north for several days before the government forbade all sport outside air conditioned places. The thresholds are changing due to the political dangers of excess deaths but as with some ridiculous covid stats, few are willing to analyse rationally. Deaths by drowning have little to do with whether a temperature exceded a certain threshold, just like Covid didn’t kill you in a traffic accidentMistermaumau11-07-2026
- Actually, these days the hottest part of the day in France has been more like 4-6pm. 1pm is nowhere near the hottest part of the day. Also, this yellow/ orange/red classification by department is a lot more complex and refined than most imagine and not always directly related to max or wet bulb temp. It takes into consideration local averages because populations in different parts of the country are used to different maxima (visitor tolerances are therefore not considered), urbanisation, building quality and a whole range of factors to estimate the local general population’s risk. It is not all that useful to judge rider risk.Mistermaumau11-07-2026
- Slashed by 30km? More like timidly trimmed. The riders will still be out there during the hottest hours, from 2 to 5 pm.Hills3311-07-2026
- Perfectly put. Most of the criticism of sprint stages comes from people who find the GC the only interesting thing. Then any stage without GC action, like stage 4, is boring. It's a testament to Pogačar's greatness that he makes mountain stages much more boring than sprints. But then, Froome did that too. And Vingegaard does too. And Contador. And Merckx...
Rafionain-Glas11-07-2026 - lance armstrong calling out someone’s behavior - crazy. there is no bigger poor sport bad teammate in the history of the sport.mij11-07-2026
- I find it boring to watch guys sitting in for 100K just to sprint the last 200 meters, lol. To each his own
ScottG11-07-2026
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⚠️ Change to the route of Stage 9 as the department of Corrèze passes on red alert for a heatwave ⚠️ Météo-France has placed the department of Corrèze on red alert due to an exceptionally intense heatwave. In light of this, it has been decided to adjust the route of Stage 9 of
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