Paris (AFP)

Bringing the Tour de France back to Paris is a victory, believes its director Christian Prudhomme, who said he was "relieved" on Sunday at the end of an edition postponed by two months due to a pandemic.

Q: Were you worried that the Tour would end prematurely?

A: "Every year, journalists ask me if I am relieved at the end of the Tour. This year, I answer yes. It's already a victory to arrive in Paris. We were afraid in the hours before the start at Nice, with two positive cases of Covid leading to the exclusion of a team. I finally tell myself that this is what allowed us to go to the end. The teams tightened the screw even more. The work was The measures taken so that there is a race, so that we can all work, all of that made its way into each other's heads. "

Q: Did you shake after the race started?

A: "There is a total rupture. The previous days, I have not a single question from a French journalist on sport. Saturday is the rain, the ice rink on the road, the ice storm of The next day is Julian Alaphilippe's victory, the yellow jersey, the resplendent sun, the beauty of the landscapes, the public on the side of the road with 90-95% of people masked ... On this Tour, it was September and of course there were fewer people than in July. But I was struck by the response from the roadsides, the decorated villages, the public. "

Q: How do you judge this edition sportingly?

A: "I'm not going to put it at the same level as last year's one which was exciting, with also the performances of choice from the French riders. We dreamed for a while in Nice but the falls played a huge role. Thibaut Pinot, even if he has the courage to still be there, has been almost eliminated, Romain Bardet, Nairo Quintana ... and then Egan Bernal, the biggest surprise. I did not expect his spectacular drop in diet."

Q: Are you going to focus on the intermediate stages, which are often more interesting sporting?

A: "The stages of Lavaur, Lyon, Champagnoles, were great. Thanks to Peter Sagan, Sam Bennett, their teams. The fight for the green jersey has been the best for I don't know how long. But it 'It is difficult to draw definitive conclusions. What is certain is that we must make sure to reduce the mileage of the plain stages. When they are long, the final must be very rough. . "

Q: What lessons do you draw from the attacks of certain elected environmentalists against the Tour?

A: "It is quite simply confirmation of what everyone knows: elected officials have the power to say yes or no. Without elected officials, there is no cycling race, no infrastructure to build no more, no stadium, swimming pool, tennis court. "

Q: You said "breaking living together is not a mistake, it's a mistake" ...

A: "But it's not political at all, it's just common sense. Afterwards, we can always feel that we are not going fast enough in environmental matters. But things are moving forward. The Tour shows itself and itself. nourishes the beauties of France, we have no desire to spoil the beauties of France. For years we have been in this process. "

© 2020 AFP