Tour Director Prudhomme denies race caused felling of over 800 trees: 'We don't want to damage France'

Stage 14 of the 2026 Tour from Mulhouse to Le Markstein is set to see the peloton tackle the Ballon d’Alsace in the second half of the stage. Ahead of the race, over 800 trees have been felled in the area, leading to criticism from regional environmental groups including Alsace Nature, Bufo, Gepma and LPO Alsace.

Speaking to the newspaper L’Alsace, Prudhomme expressed his understanding of the public criticism relating the situation, but denied that the situation was caused solely by the Tour de France, with a decision being made before the race route was confirmed. 

"Eight hundred trees being cut down shocks everyone, including me. But it is a decision that was taken in 2023, and at that time, no one knew we would be coming in 2026,” Prudhomme to L'Alsace. “It is primarily a safety measure. I think mostly of the people who risked having a tree fall on their heads if we hadn't cut them down."

While not the direct cause for the culling of the trees, Prudhomme did acknowledge the impact on the rate of development of the project caused by the Tour’s presence. 

"Of course, the Tour de France is passing through there and it is an accelerator of works. But we are never going to ask for anything, obviously…,” said Prudhomme. “We never ask to build roads. If the road exists, we come. The Tour feeds on the beauties of France, we don't want to damage France."

This was supported by the local government, which confirmed that the long-term project had been “accelerated in light of the predictable higher public attendance in this zone,” during the summer when the Tour de France arrives.