The presentation of the Tour riders invariably mobilizes a multitude of people – just think of last year’s presentation at the Grand Place in Brussels. Due to the known circumstances, it was all a bit smaller this time.
Little by little people were allowed on the square in front of the stage. The master of ceremonies did his utmost, but unfortunately we never got an exuberant atmosphere.
The performance of the teams was also a bit down. For practical reasons it was usually just a matter of calling out the name of the rider. On the rare occasion that someone was allowed to answer a question – Sagan, Pinot, Alaphilippe, Bardet and Bernal – we were told nothing more than a few platitudes.
We got the most emotional moment when we paid homage to the French chouchou Poupou, or Raymond Poulidor. His death at the end of last year could of course not go unmentioned, especially since Poulidor was unprecedentedly popular both as active riders but also afterwards in the Tour and certainly far beyond.
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