Race organizer ASO has been forced to reroute the final two stages from Paris to Nice in the face of pressure from local authorities and the mayor of Nice to move the race away from the seafront on the Promenade des Anglais to ease the blockade on the local COVID-19.

The race will complete another eight stages this Sunday, but ASO will not bring the race to the Mediterranean city, instead changing the last two stages.

According to "L'Equipe" (open in new tab), "ASO is proposing a Plan B outside the closed area," Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi told local media on Friday.

This is the second time this year that the race has had to be changed due to a global pandemic; the 2020 race ended on stage 7 and Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) was the official winner after missing the final day in Nice.

This year's Paris-Nice race will be contested over a total of eight stages, but changes to stages 7 and 8 could have a dramatic impact on the outcome of the competition. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo Visma) currently leads Paris-Nice.

The final stage was scheduled to finish on the Promenade des Anglais. Two laps, including the Côte de Duranus, would finish in the small village of Levenez, 20 km inland from Nice.

The length of the stage was also changed from 110.5 km to 92.5 km, with a climb up to Rouvens.

Stage 7 was scheduled to start in Nice and finish in Valdenbroere-la-Cormiane. The first category finish remained the same, but the start point was eliminated and changed to Le Bloc, and the distance was changed to 119.5 km.