Tour de France finale shortened

Sunday's grand finale of the Tour de France, ending in Paris, will be ​shortened due to the impact of ‌security forces being redeployed to battle wildfires near Bordeaux, organisers and police said on Saturday.

The Tour's final leg - Stage ​21 when cyclists enter Paris and do ​laps around the Champs Elysees - will be ⁠shortened to 89 kilometres instead of the ​133 kms originally planned.

"As numerous wildfires are currently ​affecting France, particularly the Gironde region, emergency services are fully mobilised to combat the blazes, while internal security ​forces are working to secure the affected ​areas and protect the population," the Paris police and the ‌event's ⁠organisers said in a joint statement.

"In light of this, the Interior Ministry has decided to redeploy a portion of the internal security forces ​initially mobilised ​to ensure ⁠security for the final stage of the Tour de France, in ​order to reinforce the response efforts ​in ⁠the areas affected by the wildfires."

Slovenian four-times champion Tadej Pogacar had a nearly insurmountable lead in his ⁠quest ​for a third straight Tour ​de France title going into Saturday's stage 20.