Riders doubt Tour can keep fans at bay

LONDON • Four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome remains unsure whether organisers can fully prevent large crowds from gathering along its route once the delayed race gets under way on Aug 29.

Cycling's most prestigious race was scheduled to start on June 27, but had to be pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic.

While it appears that organisers ASO are confident of pulling off the Grand Tour - VeloNews has reported that WorldTour teams have been told to prepare for the start date - there are doubts that the race will have the same trademark atmosphere.

Mass gatherings have been banned in France until September, with the country recording more than 168,000 Covid-19 cases and over 24,800 deaths.

French Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu has since told the Tour to come up with mitigation plans on how to contain the crowd size as well as ensuring safe distancing so as to protect fans and riders alike.

However, spectators cheering on the peloton is an enduring image of the Tour and big-name riders from Julian Alaphilippe to Warren Barguil have been vocal in their opposition to a modified race, insisting that the "public are part of the Tour de France".

The 21-stage, 3,470km race begins in Nice and ends in Paris. Given that the event snakes through vast swathes of the French countryside before proceeding into the mountains through the Pyrenees and the Alps, Froome does not see how fans can be kept away for the entirety of the race.

"Would the organisers be able to keep people from coming and gathering in large crowds?," the Briton asked in an Instagram Live video chat with former England cricket captain Kevin Pietersen over the weekend.

Barguil agreed with the Team Ineos rider. In an interview with local daily Ouest-France, he questioned how the race could transition to a closed-door format without coming at enormous financial cost to the organisers.

"We can't stop people from going to the side of the road," the Arkea-Samsic cyclist said. "I don't know if it's doable, actually. Place as many barriers, over 200km, bring in more police to enforce the lock-up.

"A closed race would be impossible to achieve on the Tour - it is only in a stadium that it is possible."

But that is something it may boil down to if organisers are to stage the race while Covid-19 is still a threat to safety.

On the possibility of fans being barred from attending, Froome admitted this year's edition would be an anaemic one, but warned of its likelihood given the seriousness of the Covid-19 crisis.

"In theory, we can put on the race and it can be broadcast on television," he said. "You're not going to get the same scenes as you would get going through these tunnels of just people everywhere and all the rest of it.

"Maybe that's the version of the race we need to see this year. I don't know."

Froome will again be among the favourites after missing last year's race owing to injury. The 34-year-old spent over three weeks in hospital after being involved in a serious crash last June but now wants to make up for lost time.

"Some days, I'm doing up to six hours sitting on the stationary trainer - big days," he said. "A lot of the training I've been doing has been indoors, so it's almost prepared me for this whole lockdown period and mentally, I'm able to get through it a bit easier."

REUTERS