The Latest: Post-heat hail forces halt to Tour de France

BRUSSELS (AP) — The Latest on Europe’s heat wave (all times local):

5:45 p.m.

Hailstorms pounding France the day after record-breaking heat have forced an extraordinary halt to the Tour de France.

Organizers stopped the world’s premier cycling event for the safety of riders on Friday when the sudden storm made the route through the Alps too dangerous.

The racers were flying through hairpin bends down from the Tour’s highest peak, the Col d’Iseran, when the decision was announced. TV coverage showed a snowplow desperately trying to clear the road the races were heading toward, which was awash with streams of water and ice.

Halting the three-week race is an exceptional move. The Tour continued throughout this week’s heat wave, and cyclists usually shrug off rough weather.

It came on a high-drama day for the Tour, in which race leader Julian Alaphilippe lost his top spot and accompanying yellow jersey just ahead of Sunday’s finale.