Paris (AFP)

"We are almost back to the Tours before" the Covid-19 pandemic: the 108th edition of the Grande Boucle, which ended on Sunday, was marked by the return of a large public to the side of the roads.

From the first yellow jersey Julian Alaphilippe to the green jersey Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck), the riders did not fail to salute the support received along the way.

"I was encouraged a lot, it touched me a lot," said the world champion.

"It doesn't take away the sore legs but it helps to finish faster," added Alaphilippe.

The darling of the French public has been praised as much for his performances as for his recent paternity.

"Like Marion (Rousse, his partner), we love you Julian!"

summed up a banner on Friday during the 19th stage.

Fortunately for the 183 other riders starting from Brest on June 26, the love of the followers is not exclusive.

- "No clusters on the Tour" -

The supporters of Slovenes Primoz Roglic (Jumbo) and Tadej Pogacar (UAE), the final winner, also stood out along the route.

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Just like the fans of Mark Cavendish: as the Briton approached the record of stage victories of Eddy Merckx (34), equaled on July 9 after his victory in Carcassonne, the banners "Cav 34" have flowery.

"We do not yet have the return of all the prefectures, which tell us about the influx of the public, but there was a lot of public on the roadsides this year", confirms Pierre-Yves Thouault, the director- deputy of the Tour.

“More than last year, that's for sure!” He adds.

The 2020 edition, postponed to the last days of summer due to the pandemic, had indeed been constrained by the health situation.

Even the advertising caravan, symbol of the festive aspect of the Tour de France, had been reduced.

Less than 100 vehicles had crisscrossed the French roads to distribute "goodies" (advertising gifts) to the public, against 170 in 2019 and 150 this year, specifies Lieutenant Mickaël Le Rouzic, detachment commander of the gendarmerie caravan on the Tour de France .

The return of the public was not smooth, since a spectator of the first stage, too far forward on the road, caused the first pile-up of the Grande Boucle.

After this incident, "we nevertheless reinforced the messages on the safety of people", underlines Lieutenant Le Rouzic.

On the health front, the spread in France of the Delta variant could also raise concerns at the dawn of this mass event.

But "we did not have to deplore clusters on the Tour", assured Pierre-Yves Thouault, on the eve of the finish.

- Strong desire for sport -

"We had a health protocol in place last year. We started again on the same bases this year, with a policy of tests before and during the Tour de France, respect for bubbles, the mask, the barrier gestures. . ", he explains.

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More than the masks sometimes imposed - and rarely worn - along the roads, it is ultimately the gloomy weather that will have dissuaded some observers.

The alpine stages, towards Le Grand-Bornand and Tignes, were particularly daunting, between abundant rain and biting cold.

This did not prevent the public from taking refuge in their sofa.

The arrival of the 17th stage was followed by 7.9 million viewers, a peak audience never reached since the introduction of the current method of counting in 2006.

Another sign of the Tour's intact attractiveness: there are still just as many cities applying to receive a stage finish or start.

"There is no withdrawal. We still have as many candidates, about 300", specifies Pierre-Yves Thouault.

"The confinement showed that there was a strong desire to see sport, and the Tour benefited from it," said the deputy director of the Tour.

After having reconquered France, the Grande Boucle is eyeing Denmark: the Grand Départ will be given from Copenhagen in 2022.

© 2021 AFP