Shortened Queen Stage still in dramatic conditions: Riders finish in wintery scenes

The organization explains why they were forced to shorten the seventh stage. "The weather conditions remain unfavorable for Saturday, particularly at higher altitudes," Paris-Nice said in a press statement. "To ensure the riders' safety, the decision to modify the route of Stage 7 has been made. The expected arrival in Auron remains unchanged, but safety conditions are not met to cross the Col de la Colmiane, its downhill specifically."

"Thus, the riders will leave the Côte de Belvédère and the Col de La Colmiane, initially planned, on their right after 55.8 km to continue through the Var Valley and then the Tinée Valley. They will rejoin the originally planned route shortly before Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée for the final 32.5 km of this stage. This 7th stage will be 109.3 kilometers long instead of 147,8 kilometers." By the way, the area around the finish in Auron will not be pleasant either: snow is expected there, with a temperature of 2 degrees Celsius and a wind chill of -11 degrees.

Eliminating the Côte de Belvédère and the Col de la Colmiane has simplified the seventh stage considerably, as only two categorized cols are left on the program. The Côte d'Aspremont is on the program after 19.6 kilometers, and the stage will finish in Auron. So, there are no 2600 meters of climbing, but fortunately, the final stage to Nice is still on the program, with the infamous Col des Quatre Chemins right at the end.

On top of the final climb, it currently looks terrible. There is a thick layer of snow along the roads and on the roofs in Auron, a ski resort, as you can see all too well in the photo below. The Col de la Colmiane has been removed, but it looks miserable even here. The start is scheduled around noon CET time, but who knows what the organization has in store for us this morning...