In 2025, the final stage of the Tour de France in Paris was neutralized due to the rain in the brand new circuit around Montmartre. The weather has forced changes to the Grand Boucle's final stage once again; this time around with the forest fires forcing changes to the first part of stage.
Paris stage cut at the Tour de France
Initially, the stage was planned to be 133 kilometers long, beginning in Thoiry, with the riders racing 55 kilometers before reaching Paris and entering the circuit. However simultaneously, the difficult weather conditions which have been leading to multiple wildfires on French territory, are forcing changes.
Already on stage 3 to Les Angles, the race had to send specific indications to team vehicles, logistics and media - the convoy following the race - as wildfires in the Pyrenees requires lots of manpower to fight it; whilst the risk of further fires beginning because of the population following the race on the road and also the convoy was high.
Wildfires are currently raging through Spanish and French territory amidst another heat wave on the European continent. In France, those west of Bordeaux are currently the most worrying and are requiring law enforcement to move towards the area. As a result, the first part of the Tour stage may be cut so as to free up important law enforcement to aid in the situation on the southwest.
The Tour de France has had multiple ways to tackle the extreme temperatures that continue to soar through France
Read also
Climate change continues to affect Tour de France
According to CNN, over 200.000 people have been displaced in these fires and both countries are requesting international help so as to control the situation.
The Tour de France continues to be affected by climate change. This year's edition has had an incredibly high average temperature and the heat was an important topic from start to finish of the race.
The riders began the race in Barcelona with temperatures touching on 35 degrees and throughout its first half, there was no restbite from a brutal heatwave that caused a lot of damage. Lots of riders suffered from the heat, and the weather conditions forced teams to adapt in extraordinary circumstances.
Statement from the Tour de France
"As numerous wildfires are currently affecting France, particularly the Gironde region, emergency services are fully mobilized to combat the blazes, while internal security forces are working to secure the affected areas and protect the population.
In light of this, the Ministry of Interior has decided to redeploy a portion of the internal security forces initially mobilized to ensure security for the final stage of the Tour de France, in order to reinforce the response efforts in the areas affected by the wildfires.
In the spirit of national solidarity with the affected regions and populations, it has been decided to adjust the route of the final stage between Thoiry and Paris on Sunday, July 26, 2026.
Consequently:
- The route for Stage 21 has been shortened to 89 km, down from the 133 km originally planned.
- The caravan is scheduled to depart from Thoiry at 1:20 p.m. – after the parade, it will leave
- Thoiry and head directly to the final circuit in Paris.
- The team presentation will take place at 3:40 p.m.—after the presentation, the riders will travel directly to the final circuit in Paris by bus.
- The official start will be given from the finish line at 5:50 p.m.—the riders will complete two additional laps of the Champs-Élysées before heading to the Montmartre circuit for a scheduled finish at 7:45 p.m.
The Prefect of Police and the Director of the Tour de France commend the dedication of all those involved in fighting the wildfires and express their full solidarity with the affected communities. They thank the riders, the teams, the local authorities, the partners and the public for their understanding regarding these exceptional measures made necessary by the situation".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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