The final stage of the 2026 Tour de France has been shortened after policing resources were put under pressure due to the wildfires currently impacting the country.
Instead of starting in Thoiry, just outside Paris, stage 21 will now start on the Champs-Élysées, with two more laps of the famous street before the Montmartre circuit is used, the race’s organisers announced on Saturday afternoon.
The team presentation will still take place in Thoiry, but riders will then travel into the capital by bus. The stage will now be 89km rather than 133km long.
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A joint press release from the Prefecture of Police and ASO, the Tour’s organisers, reads: “As numerous wildfires are currently affecting France, particularly the Gironde region, emergency services are fully mobilised 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 mobilised 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.”
“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,” the press release concludes. “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.”
The official start will now take place at 5:50pm CEST, with the scheduled finish at 7:45pm. The caravan will leave Thoiry at 1:20pm and head straight to the final circuit in Paris, before the team presentation takes place at 3:40pm in Thoiry.
Almost 200,000 people have been evacuated from near Bordeaux in south-west France due to the wildfires, which have burned more than 32,000 hectares of land, according to French newspaper Le Monde. The current wildfires are the latest consequence of a brutal summer of heatwaves, which has been attributed to the ongoing climate crisis.
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