Tour de France route changed following landslides

The Col du Galibier climb has been removed from the 2015 Tour de France due to landslides, organisers have announced.

The Tour, which begins on July 4 in Utrecht, Holland, was due to go over the fabled ascent on the penultimate 20th stage, where the overall outcome of the race will be finalised.

Team Sky's Chris Froome, the 2013 winner, is expected to vie for overall victory with 2014 champion Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) and Nairo Quintana (Movistar) before the traditional ceremonial sprint finish in Paris on July 26.

But the route of the stage from Modane to Alpe d’Huez has been diverted over the Col de la Croix-de-Fer, rather than the Col du Galibier.

Tour organisers Amaury Sports Organisation said on letour.fr: “The route of the Modane-Alpe d’Huez stage has been changed: the peloton will climb the col de la Croix-de-Fer pass before tackling the final run, for a stage that from a sporting point of view remains generally unchanged.

“Kept on alert since the closure of the Chambon tunnel because of a landslide in April, Tour de France organisers have been informed by the Isere (region) authorities of the inability to restore circulation before the passage of the race scheduled on July 25.

“Despite the determination of all parties involved to conserve the original route, but more importantly to allow the population of the communities concerned to return to their normal traffic patterns, it was decided that the route of stage 20 be changed.”