- This Sunday took place the second stage of the Tour de France in Nice, subject to strict health rules because of the context of the global Covid-19 epidemic.
- The cyclists covered 186 kilometers and four passes during this climbing stage.
“It's frustrating, we say to ourselves that sometimes it would be better behind the TV,” sighs Karim, on vacation on the Côte d'Azur. The young man and his companion, Soumia, try to see the riders in the gap located between two large black plates that separate the public from the Tour de France cyclists.
This year, the 107th edition is very special. In times of the Covid-19 epidemic, contact between the runners and the public is absent from the fictitious start which took place almost behind closed doors on avenue de Verdun, in downtown Nice, this Sunday.
But a few onlookers, attracted by the loudspeakers, try to see through the slits of the black panels. “Ah, there they are! », Shouts the announcer thirty minutes before the start.
At the announcement of Julian Alaphilippe, applause. “I have done several Tour de France but this is my first start. The sanitary measures do not bother me. There is no particular disappointment. The weather is fine, we are witnessing the atmosphere, it's good, ”positive Valérie, resident of Nice.
The start is approaching, the ten spectators are transformed into a small fifty. From here and there, we hear a few Italians who have come for the occasion, but we are far from the international public present during the races. “We are in special circumstances, in the context of Covid, we are not going to complain,” reacts Etienne, who came to attend the start of the mountain stage. Cyclists will travel 186 kilometers and four passes reaching heights of over 1,500 meters.
135 euros for not wearing the mask
Masked, divided into small groups, the public sticks to the black plates, the starting signal approaching. Far, far from the traditional effervescence, the curious hold out their phone in search of a photo. “It's still better like that rather than there being no Tour de France at all, concedes Rami. Today, we see the departure and when we return to Paris, we hope to see the finish, hoping that there will be one… ”.
The announcer has started the countdown, some film, others whistle and then applaud. Behind, police officers watch. They too are masked. Failure to wear a mask - made compulsory in the city since August 20 - leads to a fine of 135 euros. “Overall, the wearing of a mask and distancing are respected, announces a representative of the national police. Sometimes there are oversights, but calls to order are enough ”.
On the Fan Parc side, there are still more than 4,500 visitors in total this Sunday, according to the connected floors, installed for the occasion by a Swiss company, in order to respect the safety gauge of 450 people simultaneously. A sign that interest in the Tour de France is still there.
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