Tignes (France) (AFP)
"It was insurmountable," Tour director Christian Prudhomme said after stopping the 19th stage on Friday because of a road that was rendered impassable by a severe hailstorm and a mudslide.
"At first, hailstorms very localized for 5 kilometers but very violent, hailstones like ping-pong balls.Then a mudslide 50 centimeters thick and 20 meters long. cut, "explained the director of the Tour in Tignes, site of arrival initially planned.
"There was only that to do.When we were informed of the mudslide, we decided, with the president of the commissaires' panel and Thierry Gouvenou (race director), to stop the riders." added Christian Prudhomme.
"We made sure to warn them as soon as possible, we had no choice, we sent them to the cardboard box, the road was cut off, they were in full force, we told them + do not take any risk + They could not understand at the moment but, after, when they saw the images ... ", he continued.
"The times were old-fashioned, by hand, at the Iseran pass There is no stage winner but there is a yellow jersey (Egan Bernal) won in the climb of the 'Iseran, he is well deserved,' concluded the director of the Tour, adage in support: "Against nature we can do nothing."
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