Outbreak Of Forcing Tour De France To Cut Route Etape 19

Ilstras Tour de France bicycle racing (photo;x @letour)

JAKARTA The 19th Etape Tour de France, which is scheduled to take place Friday, July 25 from Albertville to La Plagne, had to be cut off after an infectious disease outbreak in livestock around Col des Saisies.

In an official statement on Thursday, July 22, ASO competition organizers said that the climb to Col des Saisies was canceled to avoid zones affected by the nodular dermatitis outbreak, a highly contagious disease in cattle. Local authorities have destroyed livestock and restricted access to the region.

"By considering the suffering of the affected breeders and for the smooth running of the race, it was decided, together with the relevant authorities, to modify the route," ASO said in a statement.

This Etape was originally planned to cover a distance of 129.9 km and included the climb of Col des Saisies, but has now been cut to 95 km. The starting point for the ceremony is still carried out in Albertville as originally planned, followed by a neutral part of 7 km. Official start will be done one hour later than scheduled.

The riders will return to the original route just before Beaufort, which is at a point of 52.4 km from the initial route. The finish line remains at La Plagne, just two days before the Tour de France ends in Paris on Sunday, July 27.

This change was an additional blow to the riders after the brutal 18 Etape the day before, in which Tadej Pogacar widened his lead over Jonas Vingegaard in the race for a yellow shirt.