Paris-Nice organizers were forced to cancel Friday's sixth stage of the so-called 'race to the sun' due to "exceptionally violent" gusts of wind.

The decision was taken "to ensure the riders' safety" after trees were blown down in the region.

"I weigh 60 kilos, I couldn't stay on my bike with a wind like this," said last year's Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard.

The cancelled stage was a hilly 197.4km ride from Tourves to La Colle-sur-Loup.

The stage had already been shortened to miss out the first section with a new start at the 117.8km mark at La Fontaine d'Aragon, before it became evident conditions were too dicey.

Pierre-Yves Thouault, one of the race organizers, told AFP that when the police and some of his team had checked out part of the route they came across fallen trees.

"Their cars were being hit by tiles. We have to be sensible. Paris-Nice is like this, with sometimes complicated weather conditions," he added.

Two-time former Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar leads the race with two stages remaining.

Eleven departments in France are on hight alert for strong winds on Friday.