A small opening but an opening nonetheless. By indicating that all major events in the presence of a large audience could not be held before mid-July, Emmanuel Macron left the possibility to the organizers of the Tour de France to postpone the race by a few weeks in order to save the furniture despite a truncated season anyway. Yvon Ledanois, sports director of Arkéa Samsic, had big ambitions for Nairo Quintana and Warren Barguil in July. These ambitions still exist, even if he concedes that the symbol of a possible Tour de France in the summer far exceeds the sporting objective of both.
🔴🚴♂️ [URGENT] - Emmanuel Macron confirms by telephone with @dnatweets that the Tour de France "would not be organized in July", but opens the way to a postponement in August, for the 107th edition of the Grande Boucle. # COVID2019 #coronavirus # TDF2020 #TDF # Macron20h pic.twitter.com/4xCb1CZ1f4
- Rachid Lamor (@lamor_rachid) April 14, 2020Emmanuel Macron indirectly opened the door to a Tour de France this summer at the end of July. Is hope reborn for runners?
Hope, we never lost it, and the organizers of the Tour even less. Afterwards, we are in a new situation. Nobody can say if the Tour will take place, and when it will take place. We are waiting for guarantees, but who can give guarantees today? We are in something that we do not know, that we do not control.
Did you still discuss with the riders the possibility of running the Tour a little later?
No, not yet, we are waiting to know more about the recovery schedule before being able to tell them "this is what you can do". The runners are like you and me. They are taking their troubles patiently and they are waiting for better days. They try to maintain a minimum physical activity despite the confinement, they train on a home trainer while waiting to receive the good news that they can go to train on the road.
If the Tour took place this summer, could Arkéa-Samsic align a team capable of being competitive?
One thing is certain, we do not start a race as demanding without knowing how to run before. There are certainly organizers who find themselves in the problem of having to reschedule a race on the date that was not theirs. And I imagine that finding budgets to organize a bicycle race has become very complicated. How many days of racing would it take to be 100%? It is impossible to give a precise answer. Each runner is different. To venture to say that it will take a month of competition before the Tour and that that will be enough, it is impossible.
Is it essential to race the Tour in any conditions to save the cycling sector?
It is certain that there are major economic issues and teams that risk big. At Arkéa, we are not too worried about this, we are lucky. But for cycling, the Tour must take place at all costs, no matter when. Whether in July, August, or September, because at one point it will be too late.
Even if the runners are not ready and not all on an equal footing?
We have to run the Tour, and we owe it to our sponsor, whatever the circumstances. Now take the Tour to take the Tour… We have a minimum of professional conscience, if we go to the Tour, it is to play a role. However, we have no idea of the form states between countries. In France nobody goes out, or I don't know, but in Belgium, for example, they can go out up to 50 kilometers around their home, it's already huge. Can we say that they will have an advantage over us in three months? I do not know.
Emmanuel Macron also said that the borders of the Schengen area would remain closed until further notice. Do you plan to compete in the Tour de France without Nairo Quintana, your flagship recruit, who is currently confined to his home in Colombia?
If we have no choice, we will have to do the Tour without him. Cyclists are not above the law. Today, Nairo is confined to Colombia, he cannot go out and he respects the same health regulations as his teammates. The question of foreign runners is indeed important. Will they have the right to participate or not? I have no answers. We will adapt to what is imposed on us.
Share a moment tomorrow with @NairoQuinCo during a live Instagram on the GFNairoQuintana account, during which he will talk about his greatest career moments: possibility to ask him questions
⏰ 6 p.m. 🇫🇷 @NairoQuinCo is waiting for you all # Tous Ensemble pic.twitter.com/TOxk9QlCW8
Christian Prudhomme said he refused the idea of a closed-door race. Yet even in September, it seems illusory, right?
For me, cycling is not a sport that takes place behind closed doors, on the contrary. It's the only sport that comes to your door for free. We must keep this link. If the Tour is run in August and France is unconfigured, the public will have the right to come and see the Tour, it will have to be left to do. Of course, there will be rules to follow. But if the race starts later, the children may be back to school, people will be at work, there will be fewer people naturally on the side of the road. It is better a little less crowded and that the Tour exists, even if it means waiting another year to find the usual pilgrimage for the month of July.
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Coronavirus: Tour de France in August and Ligue 1 in June behind closed doors… how will the resumption of the sports calendar be organized?
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