According to information from the Dauphiné Libéré, the new dates for the Tour de France have been unveiled. Planned departure from Nice on August 29th.
The decision had been awaited for some time. What will be the new date for the Tour de France 2020 , due to the confinement measures linked to the coronavirus pandemic?
According to Le Dauphiné Libéré, this question has been decided. According to their information, not yet officially confirmed this Tuesday 14th April 2020 by the event organizers, Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), the Tour de France will be held from August 29th to September 20th, 2020.
The Tour de France, initially scheduled from June 27 to July 19, will start from Nice on Saturday 29th August to finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on Sunday 20th September, according to our colleagues.
According to the newspaper, whose information has been confirmed by several media, including Ouest-France and Franceinfo , the Tour de France would scrupulously follow the route initially planned during the three weeks of racing.
Gatherings prohibited until at least mid-July
The company ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation), which is in the habit of contacting the elected representatives of the stage cities and territories concerned as a priority, did not confirm this date on Tuesday evening.
Scheduled initially from June 27th to July 19th, the Tour enters the time zone of prohibited gatherings (until mid-July) by the announcement made Monday evening by the President of the Republic.
The riders, who still have to remain confined, could not have been prepared in time for a grand start set less than two months (the deadline set by Tour Director Christian Prudhomme) after their first outing.
The postponement of the Tour de France should lead to other changes to the calendar, in particular the delay of the Tour of Spain, the Vuelta, scheduled… from August 14th to September 6th.
An essential condition
The first hypothesis raised here and there, a one month shift in the calendar, had major drawbacks. First of all, the proximity of the green light given by Emmanuel Macron to the rallies. But also the difficulty of placing a preparatory race such as the Dauphiné before the start of the Tour as well as the problem posed by the limited hotel capacity in tourist places during the first half of August.
The choice to shift towards the end of the summer takes into account the hoped-for improvement in the health situation. A condition for an event which is much more than a cycle race, a party inseparable from the public to the point that the hypothesis of the closed door, a race without spectators, has died out by itself.
Uncertainty on the subject has led everyone to express themselves as much as the Tour, the peak of the cycling season, is above all essential to the economic balance of their sport. ” It is very simple. If the Tour does not take place, teams could disappear, runners and members of management would find themselves without work, “summed up AFP Marc Madiot, the manager of the Groupama-FDJ team who is also the President of the National Cycling League.
