Cattle cull forces change to Tour de France stage 19 route
The discovery of a contagious disease amongst cattle has meant the route will be shortened from 129.9 kilometres to just 95km with two climbs – the 11.3km Cote d'Hery-sur-Ugine and the 13.7km Col des Saisies – removed.
An outbreak of nodular dermatitis meant the affected herd has needed to be culled and race organisers have taken the decision to divert the route in light of 'distress' amongst those farmers concerned.
Advertisement
In a statement ahead of the Albertville-La Plagne stage, the Tour said: 'The discovery of an outbreak of contagious nodular dermatitis affecting cattle in a herd located specifically in the Col des Saisies has necessitated the culling of the animals.
'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 of Stage 19 (Albertville–La Plagne) and to avoid the ascent to the Col des Saisies.
'The ceremonial start will take place as planned at the exit of Albertville. After a 7km parade, riders will head towards the D925, where the official start will be given.
'The race will then rejoin the original route shortly before Beaufort (at km 52.4 on the original schedule).
'Due to this change, which notably bypasses the Col des Saisies, the stage will now cover a total distance of 95km instead of the originally planned 129.9km.'
During Thursday's stage 18, Tadej Pogacar conquered his demons on the Col de la Loze to stretch his advantage in yellow amidst a hailstorm, as Ben O'Connor wrapped up the stage win.
On the mountain where Pogacar famously cracked in 2023 as Jonas Vingegaard rode away to his second Tour crown, Pogacar was the one gaining time two years later as a late dig at the summit saw him add 11 seconds to an overall lead that now stands at four minutes 26 seconds over Vingegaard.
Ireland's Ben Healy remains inside the top 10 of the general classification.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
7 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Luke Littler beats James Wade to win first World Matchplay crown in Blackpool
Luke Littler won his first World Matchplay crown as James Wade's remarkable run in Blackpool fell at the final hurdle. Littler claimed a hard-fought 18-13 victory at the Winter Gardens to become the fifth player to win the PDC Triple Crown – Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Luke Humphries having also won World Championship, Matchplay and Premier League titles. Wade was in his seventh Matchplay final 18 years on from his solitary success in 2007, which came six months after Littler was born. Luke Littler is the new king of the Winter Gardens! 👑 The 18-year-old produces another spectacular performance to become the youngest champion in the history of the Betfred World Matchplay! 👏 — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) July 27, 2025 Littler's scoring power in a high-quality contest proved decisive – he hit 17 180s to Wade's six in averaging 107 – and set a new tournament record of 64 maximums, beating Adrian Lewis' previous best of 56. 'It means absolutely everything,' Littler told Sky Sports after winning the last four legs to hold the Phil Taylor Trophy aloft. 'I idolise Phil, he's come here 16 times and won it. Now my name is on this trophy – and I can say I've completed the Triple Crown. 'Since I started on the Tour and got my Tour card I've always said to myself, 'as long as I win one of every major I'll be happy.' Now my name is on this trophy – and I can say I've completed the Triple Crown 'I've only got a few left to tick off and I'll definitely chase the majors I haven't won yet.' Littler had to mount another comeback 24 hours after losing the first five legs of his semi-final to Northern Ireland's Josh Rock. Wade stormed into a 5-0 lead but did not have a single dart at a double in the second mini-session as Littler levelled in style. The 42-year-old left-hander produced an 11-darter in the next, but Littler responded by winning successive legs to lead for the first time at 7-6. Wade managed to keep in touch, helped by a bull finish in the 19th leg, and fought back from a double break down to cut the gap to just one at 14-13. LITTLER REIGNS AT THE WINTER GARDENS! ☢️ LUKE LITTLER IS THE 2025 WORLD MATCHPLAY CHAMPION! The World Champion produces a sensational display to defeat James Wade 18-13 and lift the Phil Taylor Trophy for the first time! 👏#MatchplayDarts | Final — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) July 27, 2025 But Littler pulled away and crossed the line in style with a 115 out shot (20-57-38), the biggest finish of the match. 'A little bit,' Littler said when asked if he had felt in control. 'Five-nil down once again, I said, 'I've been here before, what are you doing?' 'But I managed to pull it out of the bag and win the next five. I've shown I can come back from 5-0 or 7-3 down. 'I'm happy I can pull myself out of these scorelines, but I don't want to be 5-0 down again. 'James started to drop off a bit and I started to find my best darts.' By winning the title 18-year-old Littler became the youngest ever champion in Matchplay history, six years younger than Wade when he lifted the title.
RTÉ News
7 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Luke Littler beats James Wade to claim first World Matchplay title
Luke Littler won his first World Matchplay crown as James Wade's remarkable run in Blackpool fell at the final hurdle. Littler claimed a hard-fought 18-13 victory at the Winter Gardens to become the fifth player to win the PDC Triple Crown - Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Luke Humphries having also won World Championship, Matchplay and Premier League titles. Wade was in his seventh Matchplay final 18 years on from his solitary success in 2007, which came six months after Littler was born. Littler's scoring power in a high-quality contest proved decisive - he hit 17 180s to Wade's six in averaging 107 - and set a new tournament record of 64 maximums, beating Adrian Lewis' previous best of 56. "It means absolutely everything," Littler told Sky Sports after winning the last four legs to hold the Phil Taylor Trophy aloft. "I idolise Phil, he's come here 16 times and won it. Now my name is on this trophy - and I can say I've completed the Triple Crown. "Since I started on the Tour and got my Tour card I've always said to myself, 'as long as I win one of every major I'll be happy.' "I've only got a few left to tick off and I'll definitely chase the majors I haven't won yet." Littler had to mount another comeback 24 hours after losing the first five legs of his semi-final to Antrim native Josh Rock. Wade stormed into a 5-0 lead but did not have a single dart at a double in the second mini-session as Littler levelled in style. The 42-year-old left-hander produced an 11-darter in the next, but Littler responded by winning successive legs to lead for the first time at 7-6. Wade managed to keep in touch, helped by a bull finish in the 19th leg, and fought back from a double break down to cut the gap to just one at 14-13. But Littler pulled away and crossed the line in style with a 115 out shot (20-57-38), the biggest finish of the match. "A little bit," Littler said when asked if he had felt in control. "Five-nil down once again, I said, 'I've been here before, what are you doing?' "But I managed to pull it out of the bag and win the next five. I've shown I can come back from 5-0 or 7-3 down. "I'm happy I can pull myself out of these scorelines, but I don't want to be 5-0 down again. "James started to drop off a bit and I started to find my best darts." By winning the title 18-year-old Littler became the youngest ever champion in Matchplay history, six years younger than Wade when he lifted the title.
Irish Examiner
9 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Tadej Pogacar wins fourth Tour de France title as Wout van Aert takes last stage
Tadej Pogacar celebrated his fourth Tour de France title in Paris but was denied what would have been a stunning final stage victory as Wout van Aert rode away on the wet cobbles of Montmartre to win on the Champs-Elysees. Pogacar looked keen to take what could prove to be a unique opportunity to win in yellow in Paris as the introduction of three ascents of the climb to Montmartre reshaped the usual final day procession, but Van Aert broke clear on the last time up to take the glory. Although the general classification times had been neutralised in the soggy conditions, Pogacar still had to finish to secure his title yet was willing to risk it all on the greasy cobbles in pursuit of a fifth stage win of this Tour. The Slovenian attacked each time up the narrow climb to whittle down a leading group to just a handful of riders, but had no response when Van Aert made his move 400 metres from the summit of the final ascent, winning solo by 19 seconds from Davide Ballerini. "It was a special day out," said Van Aert, who took his 10th career stage win and first since 2022. "It is really special to win here on the Champs-Elysees once again and on the first occasion we climbed to Montmartre. "The rain made it quite sketchy but I managed to stay upright. I had the full support of my team and I really have to thank them, to keep believing in me over and over again... "Going into the last climb, to leave it all out there was our plan and it worked." Pogacar sat up to safely bring home the yellow jersey and beat his rival Jonas Vingegaard by a final margin of four minutes and 24 seconds, moving level with Chris Froome on four titles, one shy of the record jointly held by Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Miguel Indurain and Jacques Anquetil. "I'm just speechless to win a fourth Tour de France, six years in a row on the podium," the 26-year-old Pogacar said. "This one feels especially amazing and I'm super proud I can wear this yellow jersey. "I found myself in the front even though I didn't really have the energy to motivate myself to race today. I was really happy they neutralised the times in the GC, then it was more relaxed to race. I found myself in the front but hats off to Wout, he was incredibly strong." German Florian Lipowitz finished third overall, some 11 minutes down on Pogacar and one minute 12 seconds ahead of 22-year-old Scot Oscar Onley who has enjoyed a breakout Tour. On the 50th anniversary of the first Champs-Elysees finish, the Tour returned to the French capital after last year's enforced absence due to the Olympics. Race organisers had been inspired by those Games to add the climb to this day and were rewarded with a dramatic finish.
