Tour de France organizers have shortened Stage 19 of the competition to avoid a herd of cows which have suffered an outbreak of disease.
Organizers say that cattle near the Col des Saisies have experienced an outbreak of contagious nodular dermatitis, resulting in the culling of livestock and restricting access to the area.
“In light of the distress experienced by the affected farmers and in order to preserve the smooth running of the race, it has been decided, in agreement with the relevant authorities, to modify the route,” organizers ASO said in a statement.
As a result, Friday’s Stage 19 has been shorted from 129.9km (80.7 miles) to 95km (59 miles).
The ceremonial start of the stage will start as usual near the town of Albertville before riders journey to a different start point to rejoin the route at the 52.4km (32.5 miles) mark on the original schedule before Beaufort. As a result, the competitors will avoid the affected area and the climb in Col des Saisies.
The race will start an hour later, instead beginning at 2:30 p.m. local time (8:30 a.m. ET).
The stage will finish as planned in La Plagne and is the second to last day of competition before the historic race finishes in Paris on Sunday.
Stage 19 had been seen as one of the toughest stages on the tour, with competitors having to climb a grueling 4,550 meters (about 14,930 feet) on the original course through the Alps.
Slovenian rider Tadej Pogačar is the favorite to continue his recent domination of the Tour de France and retain his yellow jersey after he extended his lead atop the overall standings to four minutes and 26 seconds over Jonas Vingegaard in Thursday’s Stage 18.
Just a few days prior, competitors taking part in L’Étape du Tour – a famed annual event where amateurs ride a single stage of the Tour de France, usually one of the more difficult that year – cycled Stage 19 in full from Albertville to La Plagne.
