Tour de France stages are sometimes re-routed due to weather and occasionally protests, but organizers made a late-breaking announcement on Thursday evening that stage 19 was being re-routed for what is surely a never-before-seen reason.
"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," read a statement from the ASO. "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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