Tour de France Responds to Heat: The Ninth Stage Becomes a Warning Signal

Ussel - 13 July 2026: The Tour de France has lost some of its old invulnerability in the Correze. The ninth stage from Malemort to Ussel was shortened on Sunday from its original 185.5 to 155.5 kilometres because of extreme heat. It was not a mechanical failure, a storm or a road closure that prompted the intervention, but the health strain on a peloton that has been racing in exceptionally high temperatures for days.The move was significant from a sporting perspective, but clearly justified. A red heat warning was in ...