Paris (AFP)
With two months late due to the Covid-19, what remains of the Tour de France peloton took the start of the final stage on Sunday at Mantes-la-Jolie towards the Champs-Elysées, where the brand new yellow Tadej jersey Pogacar must be sacred.
At 4:14 p.m., the 146 survivors after three weeks of racing, shifted from July to September by the Covid-19 pandemic, set off for the 21st stage, 122 kilometers long, with Tadej Pogacar in the front row, awaiting his coronation final about three hours later.
At his side in front of the peloton at the time of the fictitious start a little earlier: the Irishman Sam Bennett, wearing the green jersey - the only one who escaped Pogacar - and the French Kévin Réza, of the B&B Hotels team.
Originally from Yvelines, department of Mantes-la-Jolie, he is also the only black rider in the peloton on the Big Loop this year.
Its promotion, on the occasion of this final stage, is also a gesture to support the Black Lives Matter movement, the organization said.
"Finally, we had to wait for the biggest race in the world for the message to get through," said Kévin Réza.
"ASO (organizer of the event, editor's note) allows me today to deliver the message by starting in the front row", underlined the Frenchman.
"Cycling says no to racism: the runners demonstrate their commitment against discrimination in the world at the Tour de France", welcomed the CPA, the association of runners, in a statement.
A sprint, like every year since 2006, is expected to conclude the Tour after some 3,500 kilometers covered in three weeks.
But a more limited audience than usual will attend the final explanation on the Champs-Elysées around 18:58 (forecast at 41 km / h on average) with the limitation of the number of spectators to 5,000 on the famous avenue.
© 2020 AFP