A.S.O, the organiser of the Tour de France, in agreement with the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), has confirmed that the Tour de France is being postponed. Initially scheduled to take place from 27th June to 19th July, the postponed dates are Saturday 29th August to Sunday 20th September 2020.
The postponement following the French President’s address on Monday evening, where large-scale events were banned in France until mid-July as a part of the fight against the spread of Covid-19.
A.S.O added that the Tour de France will follow the same route, with no changes, from Nice to Paris.
The two-month delay for this year’s Tour has raised a number of questions – such as the available training (and pre-race) time for pro riders still in lockdown, as well as the role of spectators and the continued uncertainty of lockdown requirements amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
As reported in cyclingnews.com, Devi Sridhar, Chair of Global Public Health at the University of Edinburgh described the new date, as a “recipe for disaster.”
“This is a long-term problem, a chronic problem,” DeviSridhar told cyclingnews.com. “This virus is here to stay and will come back. Even if France gets a handle on it by August, then of course the issue is people coming in from different countries.
“I don’t think going ahead is realistic,” she said. “It won’t be like the Tour in previous years. It would make more sense to cancel. That seems more realistic.”
A.S.O noted…
‘Over the last few weeks, there has been constant communication between riders, teams, the organisers as well as other relevant third parties all with the support of the UCI, who are responsible for arranging a new global cycling schedule, in which the Tour de France takes pride of place.
‘The organisers of the Tour de France are in regular contact with and have reached agreement with all of the different parties involved, from the local communities to the public authorities.
‘The women’s event, La Course by le Tour de France avec FDJ, which was initially scheduled to take place on the 19th July on the Champs Elysées, will also be postponed to a date that is still to be determined, but it will take place during the Tour de France 2020. Equally, the 30th edition of the Etape du Tour cyclosportive, originally schedule to take place on the 5th July, will be postponed to a date yet to be determined.’
‘We would like to thank all of cycling’s stakeholders, the Tour de France’s partners, its broadcasters as well as all of the local authorities for their reactivity and their support. We all hope that the 2020 Tour de France will help to turn the page on the difficult period that we are currently experiencing.’
