The third stage of the Tour de France, scheduled for Monday, will ultimately be retained but adapted due to severe fires that have been ravaging the Eastern Pyrenees for several days.
Earlier on Sunday, the stage was under threat of cancellation due to the proximity of its finish to forest fires. However, at the end of the day, the prefect of the Eastern Pyrenees, Pierre Regnault de la Motte, confirmed that there would be a contest, but without an audience. Therefore, the advertising caravan will not be distributed.
The Tour de France, which started in Barcelona on Saturday, is due to cross the Pyrenees on stage three on Monday. Runners will cover 195.9 kilometers between Granollers, Spain, and Les Angles, a commune in southern France, where the finish is expected around 11 a.m. (NAE).
According to the prefecture of the Eastern Pyrenees, the fire has already covered about 1,500 hectares.
Forest fires have been raging across southern France since Thursday after weeks of dry weather and record temperatures, devastating large areas.
Hundreds of firefighters and ambulances were deployed to try to control the blaze.