Stage 3 of the Tour de France will go ahead but has been adapted due to fires, and will take place on Monday without spectators in the French part of the finale, the department's prefecture announced on Sunday.
After revealing that cancellation was a possibility for the stage from Granollers to the 2026 edition's first trip to France in Les Angles due to ongoing fires in the Pyrénées-Orientales area, it was later confirmed that the stage would instead be adapted.
The changes will apply to the final 40km out of the planned 196-kilometre route, meaning fans who were planning to travel to the stage will miss out on the last two categorised climbs, the Col du Calvaire (11.4 km at 4.1%) and Les Angles (1.7 km at 6.5%).
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"On French territory, the publicity caravan will not be traveling. Its presence will be limited to the passage of only the riders and vehicles essential to the organization of the race," explained Prefect Pierre Regnault de la Mothe at a press conference, as reported by L'Equipe.
According to the French publication, he added that the public was "asked not to go near the route or to the finish area. In other words, and I regret having to announce this, it will be - at least in France - a stage of the Tour de France without spectators."
Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme told French media after stage 2 finished in Barcelona, "We couldn't do otherwise. The first thing is to protect people. We have to think of the fire fighters and all the people who are doing what they can do to fight fires."
The fire has burned across approximately 1,500 hectares of land around 70 kilometres (43.5 miles) from Les Angles, where the riders are due to finish tomorrow at 5 pm, with 700 firefighters reportedly called into action to tackle the blaze.
Information from the official account of the State services in the Pyrénées-Orientales on X detailed further why spectators were being asked not to attend, to reduce the impact on emergency services and ensure the safety of the public.
"One stage maintained, but without public or advertising caravan," read the lengthy update posted at 7:03 pm on Sunday evening.
"Due to the fire currently affecting the Pyrénées-Orientales and in order to allow for the maximum mobilization of emergency resources, the 3rd stage of the Tour de France will take place without public and without advertising caravan on French territory (Ur – Les Angles portion).
"This exceptional decision has been taken to limit the impact on the department, ensure everyone's safety, and allow firefighters, law enforcement, and all mobilized services to remain fully focused on fighting the fires."
A series of bullet points in the same post listed the instructions from the department:
- We call on everyone to exercise responsibility
- Do not attempt to go to the Tour de France route
- Avoid any non-essential travel in the areas affected by the fires
- Follow the instructions of the firefighters and law enforcement
- Do not overload emergency lines: in case of emergency, dial 112
- Get informed only through official channels and do not relay any unverified information
- Today, the best way to support the Tour de France is to show solidarity and civic-mindedness, so that those protecting our territory can carry out their mission under the best possible conditions.
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