Stage 6 from Paris to Nice was cancelled due to "very heavy winds" on the road to La Collet-sur-Loup in southern France.

With wind gusts of up to 100 km/h reported, it was decided to shorten the stage to 80 km and the peloton would be bussed from Toursves to a new start point at La Fontaine d'Aragon.

However, after further consultations with the local authorities, ASO announced the stage was cancelled entirely shortly before 1 pm local time.

Paris-Nice will resume on Saturday with stage 7.

Strong winds also affected Friday's Tirreno-Adriatico, with the distance to Sassottet on stage 5 shortened by 2.5 km and the finish line moved down the mountain.

"After considering several options for rerouting and waiting for the weather to improve in the afternoon, the Paris-Nice organizers, in agreement with the local authorities, decided to cancel stage 6 in order to protect the safety of the riders in the 81st edition.

"Very heavy winds have caused several fallen trees, especially in this area, making the cancellation of the stage inevitable. As a result, sporting competitions will resume tomorrow from Nice for stage 7, the Col de la Cuillol."

"The stage will be cancelled due to the winds.

Pascal Chanture, the CPA representative for Paris-Nice, was involved in the initial discussions about shortening the stage, noting that the conditions fall under the extreme weather protocol.

"There are protocols to follow in extreme weather, and today's gusts of nearly 100 km/h near Draguignan fall under them," Chanture said, according to L'Équipe. 'Everyone involved has decided to find a solution to this problem. A gust of wind in the peloton could cause dozens of riders to fall to the ground, which is unacceptable."

In the first solution, the peloton signed in at Tours as usual, circled the town neutrally, and then boarded a bus to the new start at La Fontaine d'Aragon.

Tadey Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates) in the yellow jersey was enthusiastic about the possibilities that the shortened stage would bring.

"I think it will be a more explosive and punchy stage. 'I like shorter stages. Short and sweet. I like short and sweet stages.

Still, some of his colleagues were unsure whether the stage would take place. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo Visma) smiled when his compatriot Kasper Agreen told him that he was going to train in similar conditions in his hometown in Denmark.

"The problem is the wind gusts. If there are gusts of 100 km/h, I would never go for a run, even in Denmark. Maybe Kasper Areen could do it, but he's a little heavier than me," Vingegaard said.

"I'm 60 kg and there's no way I can stay on the bike in that situation. I think I have to think about my health first."

Once the peloton arrived at La Fontaine d'Aragon by bus, the decision was made to cancel the stage.

The race resumed on Saturday, with Pogacar holding a 6-second lead over David Gaudoux and Vingegaard in third place, 46 seconds behind.