The EELV mayor of Lyon, Grégory Doucet.

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Bony / SIPA

They deplore its environmental impact and its cost for communities: the green mayors of cities likely to host the Tour de France are demanding more “sobriety” from the organizers of the event, of which they criticize certain practices, considered to be of another age. .

The latest to pin the Great Loop, the mayor of Lyon Grégory Doucet did not mince his words when he described the Tour on Wednesday as “macho and polluting”.

The newly elected councilor warned that his city, which spent 600,000 euros to welcome the arrival of the 14th stage on Saturday, did not intend to apply again until the event had "shown that it can evolve ".

Grégory Doucet argued that it was "no longer acceptable" to invite sports events "whose first priority is not to ask the question of their footprint" on the environment.

The president of the Metropolis calmed the game

Thursday, in front of the outcry provoked by these declarations, the president EELV of the Lyon metropolis Bruno Bernard praised this “magnificent” and “popular” test which is part of “our heritage”.

But he called her to "more eco-responsibility".

In Bordeaux, where the ecologist Pierre Hurmic put an end in June to seven decades of reign of the right, the city ensures that it “will remain a candidate” for a start or a finish of stage in the years to come.

But the new municipality hopes "a strong signal in favor of the environment" from Amaury Sport Organization (ASO).

She specifies that the number of cars that make up the caravan and the pollution caused by its advertising gadgets will be particularly scrutinized for a future candidacy.

The regional capital Rennes, where the Greens belong to the majority of the mayor Nathalie Appéré (PS), had launched the debate, by declining any reception of the Tour in 2021. More for budgetary reasons than ecological, we had then explained.

For his part, the director of the Tour de France Christian Prud'homme explains that the Tour will not go "where it is not desired", although it has "vocation to go everywhere to meet its audience".

ASO defends itself

“Elected environmentalists no doubt believe that we are not going far enough, not fast enough.

But we are part of a process of progress and over the editions we develop a policy of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) which takes into account the importance of the event, its roaming and its success ”, adds. he.

This year, and for the first time in its history, “all” of the organization's vehicles in the race “are hybrids” and “on three occasions” three race management cars “will be 100% electric”.

“The Tour has started to evolve.

But there are still areas for improvement, such as the image of women, the impact of greenhouse gas emissions and waste management.

On this last aspect, its passage can be traumatic for the mountain ”, analyzes the ecological mayor of Grenoble Éric Piolle.

"The Tour cannot take into account only what it emits, but it must integrate a global vision", underlines the elected official.

However, he recalls that “cycling is a much more sober sport than others, in many ways”.

Society

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Sport

The mayor of Lyon Grégory Doucet describes the Tour de France as "a machine conveying a macho image"

  • Aquitaine

  • Lyon

  • Bordeaux

  • Tour de France

  • Gregory Doucet

  • Pierre Hurmic

  • EELV