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Extreme heat has forced organizers of the 113th Tour de France to cut down Stage 9 by 30 kilometers, in what local media described as the first heat-related route change of its kind in the race's history.
The stage, scheduled for July 13 in France's Correze department, was originally planned to cover 185.5 kilometers between Malemort and Ussel. Under the revised plan, the route will run for 155.5 kilometers.
The decision came after authorities placed Correze, a French administrative department, under a red alert because of extreme heat. A red alert is the highest weather warning level and signals conditions that may pose serious risks.
According to a statement shared on the Tour de France account on the U.S.-based social media platform X, the route was changed because of the severe heat affecting the area.
Tour organizers said the 30-kilometer reduction had become necessary because of exceptional weather. They added that the change was intended to allow the stage to go ahead under conditions matching the red alert level in the department.
Local media reported that this was the first time in Tour de France history that a stage had been shortened because of extreme heat.
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