Two days before the start of the Tour de France in Nice, the department turns red because the corona virus is actively circulating there again. Prime Minister Jean Castex reassures: the cycling festival will not be postponed again.
–
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Belgium turned Nice red on Wednesday. Amazement everywhere in the Tour. Does this have consequences for the start and the further course of the race? “No, because that is a decision in Belgium,” said the press officer of organizer ASO. ‘The Tour has nothing to do with that. Different rules apply in France and an exception has been made for the Tour. The Tour has an exceptional status, which means that the race does not fall under the different departments through which we race.
A day later, France itself also decided to color the department red, together with eighteen other departments, bringing the total to 21. But even now the fans do not have to fear a new postponement of the Tour de France. The cycling race will take place as planned, without additional measures, Prime Minister Jean Castex emphasized at a press conference. “ We have been preparing for weeks, together with the Tour organizers, to have the event take place in complete safety, ” said Castex, pointing out that many just get infected at spontaneous gatherings, not at organized events where strict regulations apply. .
Draconian Measures: eighteen pages
And that the rules previously imposed by the government are strict, we already knew. Each shift received an eighteen-page document with the covid measures. 22 teams start in this Tour, a maximum of 30 people are part of that bubble. “They stay in their own bubble,” said Tour boss Christian Prudhomme. ‘Contact with the outside world must be limited as much as possible and if that does happen, for example during a course with a motard for supplies, with application of the safety regulations.’ This bubble undergoes two corona tests before the start of the Tour and also on the rest days.
For example, Prudhomme itself is not part of this bubble and it explains why the paddock, where the team buses are parked, remains closed from the press and the public. All interviews before the start of the Tour take place via video conference that is streamed in the press room. As soon as the race gets underway, the interviews with riders take place in a separate mixed zone where TV, radio and written press are placed in boxes. So no more hassle after the finish, but a mixed zone where the distance of 2 meters is maintained and both press and rider have to wear a mask.
There are about forty boxes in total, often divided by country or language group. For example, there is a box in Belgium for the written press and only one journalist is allowed to ask questions before and after the ride. He or she must then share those quotes with his colleagues from Belgium. The same goes for the Dutch press, the German press … only the French media got three boxes. “The measures are strict because the government imposes them on us,” said the Tour press officer. “The riders have priority, it is important that they are protected.”
Vele kleinere Tourkaravaan
All this means that there is a lot less media present in this edition. ‘About a quarter less than normal’, it still sounds. Although that number may still drop, because due to the stricter measures that were announced on Sunday, not every medium will travel to the Tour or possibly with fewer representatives.
Not only is there less media available, the Tour caravan is much smaller in its entirety. “In other years we travel with about 5,000 people through France, now that will be about 3,000 people,” said the press officer. “For example, there are not 160 cars in the publicity caravan, but only 100 this year.”
ASO does everything it can to ensure that the Tour Circus reaches Paris. “The Tour will remain open to the public,” Prudhomme emphasizes. ‘But there are restrictions. Face masks are mandatory along the course. We are conducting an awareness campaign through multiple media to encourage fans to do so. We also hand out between 400,000 and 500,000 masks along the way for the supporters who are not equipped with a mask. ‘ Where and how much public is allowed, the villages and cities can decide themselves.
– .
