The 2016 Tour de France stage on Ventoux featured an unexpected finish change due to high winds, lowering the finish point to Chalet Reynard. The rider felt disoriented, as he was unfamiliar with the new route and lacked a radio connection for updates. The roadside barriers started only 500 meters from the finish, leading to surprises during the race. Despite winning, the experience lacked the expected build-up and climax. The rider stated that the change in the mountain's length did not significantly alter the race outcome but improved safety.
The reason why was the way they changed the stage finish, bringing it down from the Ventoux summit because of high winds, to two-thirds of the way up at the Chalet Reynard.
I was actually riding blind. Then suddenly the fences were there, and I saw a sign saying '500 metres to go' and it was a big surprise.
It was all really strange. None of the build-up to the finale like you should have, so the climax wasn't there at all.
The reduction in the mountain's length changed the race outcome much, as the first part of the Ventoux is the hardest. It certainly made it a bit safer.
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