Will the Tour de France be able to take place this year? Scheduled from June 27 to July 19, the cycling race is affected by the ban on gatherings with a large audience until mid-July due to the coronavirus epidemic, confirmed Monday evening by Emmanuel Macron. Remained for the moment silent, the organizers of the Great Loop however exclude any cancellation and study the track of a postponement.
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Unofficially, ASO (Amaury Sport Organization) has no intention of canceling a test on which the world economy of professional road cycling is largely based, and has already consulted local elected officials, as several of them confirmed to AFP.
"We can't imagine the season taking over with the Tour"
"Today, with the president's declarations, if there can be a Tour in 2020, we are projecting ourselves rather towards mid-August", explains for his part to Europe 1 Cédric Vasseur, manager of Cofidis training. "We understood that, anyway, until next May 11, our cyclists would have to stay at home and could not go outside normally to prepare for competitions. And we do not imagine the cycling season to resume with the Tour de France, which is the most demanding event, "he adds.
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This postponement could perhaps even be made in September, which would make it easier for ASO to find available hotels than in the middle of August. Another advantage, outside of long vacation periods, there would necessarily be fewer people on the side of the roads, which would make it easier to enforce barrier gestures, knowing that ASO is not favorable to a closed session.