Tour de France Stage 9 Shortened Due to Heat Wave

Sunday's ninth stage of the Tour de France will be shortened by 30 km due to risks associated with the heat, race organizers announced on Saturday. However, the originally planned start and finish locations will remain unchanged.

The stage from Malemort to Ussel was originally scheduled to be 185.5 km long; it will now be 155.5 km, the organizers said in a statement.

"Meteo-France has placed the department of Correze on red alert due to an exceptionally intense heatwave", the statement reads.

"In light of this ... the race will divert from the original route in the neutral zone, taking the D921 and heading from Brive-la-Gaillarde straight to Lanteuil, 147.8 km from the finish in Ussel", the organizers clarified.

Western Europe experienced its hottest June on record, leading to a sharp increase in heat-related deaths. French nuclear reactors had to reduce their output on Friday due to high temperatures.

"All government offices, local authorities, security forces, emergency and health services, accredited civil protection organizations, volunteers and other stakeholders remain fully committed to ensuring that this stage runs smoothly", the organizers said.

Slovenian four-time winner Tadej Pogacar, who has won the last two editions, leads the race after Saturday's eighth stage.

(Reuters, Luc)