Uncertainty Surrounds Tour De France 2020 As A Result Of Coronavirus Pandemic

Source:China Sport ShowRelease time:09-Apr-2020Clicks:

Article From：福布斯网

Despite a series of postponements and cancellations in other sports owing to the cornonavirus pandemic, road cycling’s most important annual event, the Tour de France, is yet to be called off. But amid the suspension of all cycling events until June 1, admissions from the organizers that they are considering other plans and pointed questions from figures within the sport, the event’s viability has been thrown into serious doubt in recent days.

The Tour de France is currently scheduled to start in Nice on June 27, and the French sports minister Roxana Mărăcineau has floated the idea of holding the event without live spectators, to keep hold of vital television revenues. But whether that is a realistic option is up for debate.

On Tuesday, cycling’s world governing body, the UCI, announced that all races would be suspended until at least June 1, prolonging their previous postponement that ran until the end of April, adding in their statement that “the UCI also decided that this extension would apply to all cycling disciplines and all categories of riders.”

The idea, at least for now, remains that the Tour de France and the other two Grand Tours, the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España, will go ahead, as will the five prestigious Monument one-day races. The statement went on to say that the UCI are “working on a framework for the future UCI International Road Calendar, based on its exchanges with the stakeholders and giving priority to the three Grands Tours and cycling’s Monuments.”

The possibility of extending the season beyond its usual end date had already been raised in a previous statement on March 18, which leaves open the possibility of the Tour de France start date being pushed back.

When asked about the potential for postponement to a July or August start, Tour de France Director Christian Prudhomme told French newspaper L’Équipe: “I would be lying if I said that we were not working on another hypothesis. Riders must be able to resume training at the end of April for the Tour de France to remain on these dates [June 27 to July 19]. But the most important thing by far is the fight against the pandemic. We will adapt according to the health situation in the country.”

In another interview with lamontagne.fr, Prudhomme dismissed the suggestion by French Sports Minister Mărăcineau that the greatest race in cycling could happen without the presence of supporters, who usually line the roadsides across the country. If Le Tour does go ahead, it “will not take place behind closed doors”, Prudhomme declared. “The Tour de France is the fervor, the enthusiasm and above all smiles. We have to find those smiles.”

Warren Barguil, French rider for the Arkea-Samsic team, told Ouest-France (via VeloNews) that, “A closed race would be impossible to achieve on the Tour de France — it is only in a stadium that it is possible.”

On Monday, 2018 Tour champion Geraint Thomas expressed similar sentiments. Speaking to the Telegraph, he said, “It wouldn't be the Tour without the fans.” Alluding to the last UCI World Tour race that went ahead before the suspension, which was held without fans, he added, “Paris-Nice is Paris-Nice and the Tour is the Tour. It would be a lot harder to keep [fans] away from the Tour than it was at Paris-Nice.”

Other voices, meanwhile, have questioned whether the event will go ahead at all. The Astana team’s Sporting Director Dmitry Fofonov told CNN that, “In my opinion, we can only continue with these big competitions if the whole crisis is resolved.”

Patrick Lefevere, the head of the Deceuninck-Quickstep team, was similarly dismissive when speaking to the Guardian. “I’m an optimist,” he said, “but I don’t see how they can justify running the Tour de France. What about the fans? Who can enter France and who can’t? Are we really going to stuff the hotels with people? I can’t imagine someone waving a magic wand in early July and the coronavirus crisis suddenly being resolved.”

The Tour is an enormous logistical operation, involving tens of thousands of workers, security personnel and police officers, so a postponement will not be easy to manage. But as the most symbolic event on the cycling calendar, the UCI and race organizers ASO will be making every effort so that it goes ahead.

Reports from France suggest that the first two weeks of May will be the decisive period for this year's Tour. The deputy mayor of one host town told RTBF that if France is still in lockdown on May 1, then Prudhomme will be forced to cancel or postpone the event. ASO itself has reportedly set a deadline of May 15 for a final decision to be made.

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