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A stage of the Tour de France has been shortened to avoid a herd of diseased cows, organisers said.
Stage 19 of the 21-stage competition through the mountains from Albertville to La Plagne was cut from nearly 130km to 95km (81 miles to 59 miles), eliminating two of the five planned climbs.
Organisers shortened the stage due to an outbreak of “contagious nodular dermatitis” found in a herd of cows in Col des Saisies, a 13.7km (8.5-mile) climb.
“The discovery of an outbreak of contagious nodular dermatitis affecting cattle in a herd located specifically in the Col des Saisies has necessitated the culling of the animals,” the organisers of the Tour de France, ASO, said in a statement late Thursday.