The Tour de France will continue on Monday, but the race will look very different when it reaches French soil.
Stage 3, from Granollers to Les Angles, has been cleared to go ahead despite wildfires in the Pyrénées-Orientales. However, spectators will not be allowed on the French section of the route, and the Tour’s publicity caravan has also been cancelled there.
The decision was taken to keep roads clear and allow emergency services to focus on the fire response.
No spectators on the French section
According to the official Tour de France stage profile, Monday’s stage is a 195.9-kilometre mountain route from Granollers to Les Angles, with 3,850 metres of climbing.
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The stage begins in Spain before crossing into France for the final part of the day. It is that French section, from Ur to Les Angles, which will now be closed to the public.
According to Cadena SER, the official decision was made because of the fire currently affecting the Pyrénées-Orientales, with the aim of allowing the maximum mobilisation of rescue services.
The same report states that the stage will be held “without public and without publicity caravan” on French territory.
Fire response comes first
The restriction is unusual for the Tour, where roadside crowds are normally part of the spectacle.
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But the authorities have made clear that public safety has to take priority. The fire near Trévillach has created major pressure on local emergency services, with roads closed and firefighters deployed in the area.
According to The Guardian, Pierre Regnault de la Mothe, the prefect of the Pyrénées-Orientales, said: “The setup will be limited to the passage of the riders only and the vehicles essential to organising the event.”
He also urged people to stay away from the stage route.
“The public is asked not to go near the route or to the finish area. I regret saying this but in France at least, it will be a stage of the Tour without spectators,” he said.
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Prudhomme backs emergency decision
Tour director Christian Prudhomme also backed the decision, even while acknowledging the disappointment for local communities and fans.
Quoted by The Guardian, Prudhomme said: “We agreed, given the exceptional and frightening conditions of the fire, to limit the road to only the riders and essential organisation vehicles.”
He added: “We ask the public not to come to roadside or to the finish. All of this was done in agreement with the state authorities.”
The decision means one of the first key mountain days of the race will finish in a very different atmosphere, with no fans lining the final French kilometres.
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Vingegaard faces a quiet but difficult test
For the riders, the sporting challenge remains largely unchanged.
The route still takes the peloton into the Pyrenees early in the race, with a demanding final section towards Les Angles. Jonas Vingegaard will start the day in yellow, but the stage gives his rivals another chance to test him after a lively opening weekend.
According to AS, the route itself has not been altered, but only cyclists and essential organisation vehicles will be allowed through the restricted area.
That leaves the Tour facing a strange contrast.
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The race goes on, but its most familiar sound, thousands of fans on the roadside, will be missing when the riders reach France.
