The extension through mid-July of a ban on mass gatherings in France due to the novel coronavirus pandemic has forced postponement of the Tour de France and jeopardized the Formula 1 French Grand Prix, reports The Washington Post.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday extended France’s lockdown because of the covid-19 outbreak until May 11th, with crèches and schools progressively reopening after that. However, bars and restaurants would remain closed and there would be no summer festivals “before mid-July.” Both the Tour and the F1 race draw enormous crowds, with 135,000 people attending last year’s auto race.
The Tour, the biggest race in cycling, was scheduled to begin June 27th in Nice and end July 19th in Paris, with the auto race scheduled for June 28 near Marseille.
“Given that it’s now impossible that the Tour starts at its planned date, we are consulting with the [International Cycling Union] to try to find new dates,” race organizers said Tuesday.
The Tour was last called off in 1946, with France still in recovery from World War II. It also did not take place during World War I. One option is to cancel the race outright this year, but organizers hope to find a later date and they are not likely to favour staging the race without the thousands of fans who line the roadsides.