The Tour de France had to alter the route of a stage last Friday after a disease outbreak in a herd of cattle along the famous cycle route.

In a statement, the Tour de France said stage 19 of the race would be shortened due to the detection of nodular dermatitis in cattle in the Col des Saisies area, which subsequently necessitated their culling.

“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.”

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“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).”

This change, which bypassed Col des Saisies, shortened the distance of stage 19 from 129.9km to 95km.

Nodular dermatitis is an infectious, eruptive disease of cattle characterised by nodules on the skin and other parts of the body.