Stage 9 shortened due to heatwave red alert

Cor Vos

Shortly after the culmination of the stage 8 sprint, which left winner Tim Merlier struggling to cool himself down in the 40-degree heat, the ASO sent out a press release announcing changes to Sunday's stage 9.

In short: the stage has been reduced from 185.5 km to 155.5 km, and the peloton will roll out a little later than previously planned in order to finish in Ussel – where temperatures are expected to exceed 34ºC in mid-afternoon – a little earlier than scheduled. The route change will see the peloton divert in the neutral zone, heading from Brive-la-Gaillarde straight to Lanteuil (147.8 km from the finish), which means cutting the early southward hook from Malemort.

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