Tour de France stage 19 route changed following cattle disease outbreak
The 129.9-kilometre stage from Albertville to La Plagne was due to include the ascent of the Col des Saisies, but the climb has now been scrapped to avoid the affected zone, the organiser, Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), said in a statement on Thursday, local time.
"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," ASO said.
The ceremonial start will take place as planned in Albertville, followed by a 7km neutralised section before the official start, an hour later than planned.
Riders will rejoin the original course shortly before Beaufort, at the 52.4km mark of the initial route.
As a result, the stage will now be reduced to 95km.
The shortened stage still finishes in La Plagne and comes just two days before the Tour concludes in Paris on Sunday.
Slovenian Tadej Pogačar leads the race by 4 minutes and 26 seconds ahead of Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard.
Australian Ben O'Connor produced a stunning solo attack to win on stage 18 in the Alps.
Reuters/ABC
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Flood, fire, erosion: How do we protect ourselves against future disaster?
Once we were comforted by the sound of rain on a tin roof, today we hope the rain lasts just long enough to replenish the soils and water courses and doesn't become too heavy or last too long to cause another flood. Record-breaking floods have arrived with an unwelcome regularity in our region, starting in 2020, then again in 2021 and 2022 and now for centres like Taree, a record flood in May 2025. These flood events followed the devastation of the Black Summer bushfires of 2019/20, creating a pattern of natural disasters that appear to be increasing in frequency, taking an ever-growing financial and emotional toll on our communities and raising questions about building resiliency. The financial costs are staggering, with the Federal and NSW governments having spent $9.5 billion on disaster relief and recovery since the summer of 2019, and that does not include the funding for the D classification disaster relief package announced for Mid North Coast and Hunter farmers. 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These costs are estimated to grow to about $8.7 billion a year by 2050. "Climate change is projected to wipe over $500 billion off the Australian property market by 2030," according to the Authority. The question for our communities is how best to build sustainable, safe communities in a changing climate? So what about solutions? The Planning Institute of Australia (PIA), the national body representing the planning profession, has been working on three basic messages, which they say are essential to build community resilience and reduce future risk. PIA is supported by the Insurance Council and is advocating for strengthening the capacity of all tiers of Government to plan, invest and act by: "Planning is at the heart of building more resilient communities," PIA CEO Matt Collins said. "With clear strategies, good data and targeted investment, we can deliver better-located housing and reduce future risk. 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