Nice (AFP)

The spectators will not be the only ones to become scarce on the roads of the Tour de France in 2020: the sprinters too. This time, the pandemic has nothing to do with it, the course is rather in question. Not necessarily rightly since one of them has every chance to don the yellow jersey on Saturday in Nice.

Ackermann, Gaviria, Démare, Groenewegen: some of the biggest names in the sprint left the Tour de France this year, usually the unofficial world championship for finishers.

"I think it's partly due to the course, there are more opportunities on the Giro", observes the Australian pocket sprinter Caleb Ewan, well at the rendezvous in Nice after his treble on the French roads the last year.

“Many teams have one or more riders who play for the general classification,” he also underlines, the upheaval of the calendar due to the Covid-19 having resulted in a concentration of leaders rarely seen on the Tour.

However, windows of fire are not that rare, notes the Aussie rocket: "If we look at all the opportunities, there will be maybe one or two sprints less than last year but there are still some."

The same goes for Deceuninck sprinter Sam Bennett: "We should have opportunities in a lot of stages here," said the Irishman, chasing his first success on the Big Loop.

In total, the 2019 Tour saw eight massive arrivals. This year, his team, Lotto, in prognosis six, reveals Ewan.

And the premiere is scheduled for Saturday. Even if - this is probably the difference with last year - the bouquet will be more difficult to pull off for the thick thighs of the peloton.

- the 1st stage "hard for pure sprinters" -

"The first stage will be hard for pure sprinters," said Italian specialist Elia Viviani, looking for a first success since leaving Deceuninck for Cofidis in 2020.

The former European champion sees "more as favorites" of "guys like Wout van Aert or Giacomo Nizzolo, who is in orbit at the moment" and who has just succeeded him in the star jersey. More versatile and all-terrain profiles.

"I know how difficult the roads are here", also supports Sam Bennett who knows them well from being domiciled in Monaco.

"It's not going to be a simple sprint", concedes Ewan, also Monegasque by adoption.

"But the good point for us sprinters is that there is a lot of time to get back into the peloton if we are stuck on the last climb," he said.

Its summit is a little less than 40 kilometers from the finish and "in addition at this time of the year in the valley, there is a head wind which helps to come back" on possible breakaways, supports Ewan, very confident about the outcome of the first stage on Saturday without setting himself the goal of repeating his treble of 2019.

"Some of the best are not there but there is still Viviani, Bennett… There are really strong guys. As always, it will be hard to win on the Tour", tempers the Australian, despite the absentees.

© 2020 AFP