The Tour de France will take place from August 29 to September 20, organisers announced on Wednesday, postponing the race originally slated to start on June 27 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The new dates, the
latest ever for the Tour founded in 1903, follow French President Emmanuel
Macron’s extension on Monday of a ban on public gatherings until mid-July.
While the news
comes as a relief to professional cycling teams and fans, it moves the three-week
race out of its traditional slot during the summer holidays where festive
roadside crowds of around 12 million would be expected.
With the Tokyo
Olympic Games and football’s Euro 2020 showpiece both delayed by a year, the
Tour is the last major event remaining on the summer sports calendar.
As a result of the
date switch, the Spanish three-week cycling tour La Vuelta a Espana scheduled
for August 14 to September 6 is also likely to be rearranged.
The event is owned
by the Tour de France organisers and it appears that a clash of dates will not
be permitted.
“Let’s be clear on
this, the Vuelta and the Tour will not be run concurrently,” Vuelta director
Javier Guillen told Spanish media on Wednesday.
