Violent Weather Forces Early Halt to Tour de France Stage 19

Dangerous weather conditions shut down the race on Friday.

Stage 19 of the Tour de France was stopped on Friday as hail and dangerous weather conditions made the roads unrideable.

Roads were covered in snow, and a hail storm near the finish line led to organizers canceling the remainder of the stage. Crews quickly brought out snowplows to try to clear the slush on the roads, and some were buried under the remains of a large landslide.

Crazy weather conditions in the downhill in Val d’Isère 😱🌨❄️ @LeTour #TDF2019 #TDF pic.twitter.com/Dv6TcYbr9a

— Wanty-ReUz-Technord (@WantyRT_U23) July 26, 2019

La 19ème étape du Tour de France est arrêtée ! @LeTour pic.twitter.com/ERJGrJhiuW

— ARKEA-B&B HOTELS (@arkeabbhotels) July 26, 2019

Well, stage 19 of the #TourdeFrance is stopped 😯

(via @NBCSNCycling)pic.twitter.com/vNEEGXFjtx

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 26, 2019

🚨 LANDSLIDE 🚨

This massive landslide shows why Stage 19 of the #TDF2019 had to be cancelled 😲 pic.twitter.com/emv88dE3RB

— Eurosport (@eurosport) July 26, 2019

The winter-like weather came as a shock considering France has recently been experiencing a heatwave. Yesterday, the south of France reached 104 degrees Fahrenheit and the temperature on the road soared to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Before starting yesterday's race, riders wore ice vests and then tried to drink double the amount of liquids during it.

After Friday's stage was canceled, finish times were taken at the top of Col de L'Iseran. Egan Bernal took the yellow jersey from Julian Alaphilippe.