Pau (AFP)
Emmanuel Macron celebrated Friday in Pau the "mythology" of the Tour de France and "heroism" of its winners, alongside veterans Bernard Hinault and Eddy Merckx, as well as his friend François Bayrou, mayor of Pau.
Before his address, in a small open air museum devoted to the 100 years of the Yellow Jersey, the head of state gathered around the platform the 300 or so onlookers relegated behind the barriers, with whom he had spent 20 minutes to an improvised crowd bath.
"All these gentlemen-ladies who are behind the gates, it's really weird.Open the gates!", He ordered, while the event had been tightly locked by the security guards.
"The Tour is part of French mythologies," said the head of state. "what we like in the Tour is the surpassing of oneself (...) the courage and the will".
"We are a country of courageous women and men who like to follow those who attack, take risks, win at the pass, even attack in the downhill, sprint, and make dream or thwart the impossible", a- he declared.
At his side, François Bayrou, his main political ally. Emmanuel Macron had dinner Friday evening with the president of the MoDem and sixty local elected officials, the opportunity to discuss the alliances for the next municipal.
Fan of cycling, he was then to follow Saturday, aboard the car of the director of the Tour Christian Prud'homme, the stage that connects Tarbes to Tourmalet and attend the award of the trophy to the winner of the stage.
"We'll be behind Julian Alaphilippe," he said congratulating the winner of the day, "It's great, we're waiting for him tomorrow, there are two good passes, I'm behind him. generous and attacking! We must always attack, especially when we believe that we are at rest, "commented the head of state, as an allusion to his political struggles.
Asked by journalists, he refused to comment on the first conclusions of the Assembly's investigation into François de Rugy, who clears the former minister of the accusation of having organized private dinners at the Hotel de Lassay between 2017 and 2018.
© 2019 AFP