The Tour de France will definitely not start on the scheduled date of June 27. French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed this to the French newspaper on Monday evening Le Dauphiné Libéré.
At the beginning of the evening, Macron gave a press conference in which he announced, among other things, that no large public events should take place until at least mid-July.
With that, continuing the Tour de France from June 27 to July 19 seemed practically impossible and Macron later confirmed this to the organizing newspaper of the Criterium du Dauphiné, normally one of the most important preparation races of the Tour.
There is a chance that the Tour de France will continue later this year. Earlier, reports had already leaked that the organization would be busy with a shift of the event. Tour organizer ASO has not yet responded to Macron’s words on Monday.
Shifting the Tour can also have major consequences for the rest of the cycling calendar. The Vuelta a España should start in Utrecht on August 14. The two major rounds may therefore overlap.
Grand Prix France also seems to be off the track for the time being
Macron’s statement means that the start of the Formula 1 season should almost certainly be postponed further. On June 28, the Grand Prix of France is on the calendar, but there also seems to be a (temporary) streak.
In the French football competitions, it will not be possible to play in full stadiums until mid-July. Duels behind closed doors may be allowed after May 11. Until then, stringent measures remain in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
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