Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
There have been fears that stages three and four of the Tour de France could be cancelled due to the wildfire.
An out-of-control wildfire is tearing through southwestern France near the Spanish border, Reuters reports.
Strong winds are expected to feed the flames, making it much harder for firefighters to control the blaze. High temperatures across western Europe have left the countryside dry and ready to burn.
The situation has already forced around 10,000 people to leave their homes. Local official Pierre Regnault de la Mothe shared on X that the fire has destroyed 4,600 hectares in the Pyrenees foothills.
Conditions are getting worse. “This morning conditions are deteriorating again,” Interior Minister Laurent Nunez warned on French TV station TF1. “Today the battle resumes.”
Racing through smoke
The Trevillach fire is burning near the Tour de France bicycle race. As the third stage moves from Spain into France, organizers have been forced to step in to keep everyone safe.
Local authorities decided to close the French part of the route to the public.
Race organizers have announced that “stage 3 of the Tour de France will be completed without an audience and without an advertising caravan on French territory.” This covers the final 40 kilometers of the day.
The goal is to clear the roads so emergency services can move freely. The cyclists will still ride, but the usual parade of sponsor vehicles will stop at the border. Race director Christian Prudhomme asked fans to skip the finish line entirely.
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Sparking the blaze
Meanwhile, the trouble extends across the border into Spain. A related fire burned 2,200 hectares of land in Catalonia, though local officials say that area is now stable. Police arrested a worker who allegedly started the fire by using an angle grinder next to a road.
Further south, another fire forced 500 people to flee a national park in the Castellon province. The heat remains intense, with temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius along the race route.
While cycling fans all over the world hope for the next head-to-head between current leader Jonas Vingegaard and the winner of the past two years Tadej Pogacar, the priority is safety for the organizers.
Prudhomme noted that protecting the local people and landscapes matters most.
