Phew for the sprinters: Time cut extended for shortened Stage 19

Jonathan Milan, Tim Merlier and the rest of the sprinters’ club got a bit of relief from the Tour de France jury on Friday. With Stage 19 shortened due to a cow disease outbreak, organizers have also relaxed the time cut (or, le délai, as they call it.)

Instead of using the usual sliding scale—ranging from 13 to 21 per cent of the winner’s time depending on average speed—officials have now set a flat time limit of 21 per cent for everyone.

That means riders have more breathing room to finish within the time cut, regardless of how fast the stage is raced. It’s another in a line of lenient jury calls this year: Merlier already benefited from a similar decision during the race’s only individual time trial.

Tour jury extends time cut for hill climb TT because Pogačar

The route to La Plagne was significantly altered after a bovine epidemic forced organizers to reroute and remove multiple climbs from the original parcours. It went from 129.9 km to just 95 km. But it’s still tough—and has a summit finish, too.

Milan right now leads the green jersey competition over a certain Tadej Pogačar. Although it’s getting less likely, it’s possible the rainbow jersey could sweep all three major jerseys. He’s already got yellow, and polka dots, and is second in green.

Remember, the final stage on Sunday isn’t the usual parade stage on the Champs-Élysées. Instead, riders will go over the tough and punchy Montmartre climb—the one used at the Paris Olympics—three times. It could result in a much smaller field if the peloton feels spicy.