Tour de France 2020

Itziger

What's this about starting on August 29th? What about the Vuelta?

Anyone else come across this news? Saw it a few minutes ago on a Luxembourg newspaper.

CantGetNoSleep

They must have gotten word that the Vuelta wouldn't be ready to go ahead around then surely? Or that they will just run one GT this year?

Beasty

I suspect they may struggle to run it at all this year. Social distancing is not going away fast. In fact it if the postpone it a few times we could end up with back to back Tours next year:)

Eamonnator

Cycling News have this
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/2020-tour-de-france-rescheduled-for-august-29-september-20/

It smacks of desperation to me.
It would also mean that the final day of the Tour would be the same day as ITT at the Worlds.

lissard

Beasty wrote: »

I suspect they may struggle to run it at all this year. Social distancing is not going away fast. In fact it if the postpone it a few times we could end up with back to back Tours next year:)

One clockwise circuit followed by another anticlockwise - 42 stages, easy ;-). It would make Henri Desgrange designed Tours look like chicken feed in comparison.

Itziger

Eamonnator wrote: »

Cycling News have this
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/2020-tour-de-france-rescheduled-for-august-29-september-20/

It smacks of desperation to me.
It would also mean that the final day of the Tour would be the same day as ITT at the Worlds.

To be fair now, I'd say that would be one of the easiest to fix of the top 100 problems they're going to be facing.

Eamonnator

Itziger wrote: »

To be fair now, I'd say that would be one of the easiest to fix of the top 100 problems they're going to be facing.

Yeah you're right, if that were their only problem, it'd be a certainty to go on.

Daroxtar

CantGetNoSleep wrote: »

They must have gotten word that the Vuelta wouldn't be ready to go ahead around then surely? Or that they will just run one GT this year?

Nothing to do with getting word from the Vuelta. ASO owns both races and the TDF is the cash cow so the Vuelta gets kicked down the road. Pretty pissed off as I have flights booked for the Farrapona and Angliru stages, was hoping that the Vuelta would go ahead as planned.

Weepsie

Ah, the original rumour was Tour de France early Ausuts, Vuelta and then an October Giro, however the TDF had to push further out as FRance won't have lifted it's restrictions on time fully anyway.

France may also be in a better position than Spain to get such an event on anyway

Beasty

lissard wrote: »

One clockwise circuit followed by another anticlockwise - 42 stages, easy ;-). It would make Henri Desgrange designed Tours look like chicken feed in comparison.

Doing it all as Time Trials might work. Make it a proper test....

Beasty

I really can't see how they could do a 3 week tour with no racing preparation. I think they should simply abandon this year (including the Worlds) and hope the Southern Hemisphere is in a position to run some stuff over our winter

billyhead

Agree. 2020 is a write off unfortunately. They will revise their decision closer to the event otherwise it would be a shambles considering the amount of crowd control required and the teams having to go into isolation if a member gets infected.

Eamonnator

Beasty wrote: »

Doing it all as Time Trials might work. Make it a proper test....

Nah, wouldn't work. The best TTers would all be well up on GC on the final day and would have to abandon to take part in the World's.

There are a lot of races looking to be raced from September on. There was talk early on of a shorter Giro I think. What about a Tour de Europe in October? A week each in France, Italy and Spain????

Seriously though, I think the people in recent weeks coming out and emphasising the importance of the Tour aren't wrong. It's not a reason it should go ahead at all costs in these times but if it doesn't there are going to be real knock on consequences next season for some teams.

Eamonnator

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-de-france-going-ahead-could-be-recipe-for-disaster-says-global-public-health-expert/

This article raises a few more problems about having the Tour this year.

victor201

Etape du tour been rescheduled too , can't see that going ahead either .I already entered and flights and hotel booked ,but don't think a gathering of 18000 people would be allowed and i would prefer it was cancelled completely .

eeeee

I think it's a disaster to go ahead with it like that, the public health concerns far outweigh any tiny benefits of it being on. Teams, riders, staff, media and spectators from all over the world traipsing from town to town across France for 3 weeks? Disaster! A recipe for a second wave of the Coronavirus. The only reason to put that on and take that great a risk is money and greed IMO. Vuelta and Giro need to go too, and the worlds.
Just postpone everything till 2021. Make it fair. I mean having it finish on the same day as the Worlds TT seems crazy from a scheduling point of view from the UCI. Money talks it seems...

ETA: Nija edit 2021 not 2012! thanks Enfilade!

^ Pros are using flux capacitors on their bikes now ? Cheating bastards :pac:

Dr. Bre

Can’t see it going ahead in August - supporters very close to cyclists going up some of the famous climbs . Will they keep 2 metres?

Itziger

Who said they'd be allowing crowds? It's very easy to control the numbers on the climbs and the finish areas. That's the only spots with big crowds anyway.

Just saying mind. I'm not saying they're right to go ahead with it, bit if they do it won't be a normal Tour.

Eamonnator

With all that the police are going through now, all over France, I'm sure they'd be delighted to help out with crowd and traffic control for three weeks in Aug./Sept.
It'd be a nice break for them dealing with the supporters on "Dutch Corner" etc.,maintaining social distancing.

crosstownk

The postponement is simply a better alternative to complete cancellation at this point. Cancelling would be the nuclear option right now. Suck it and see, I suppose.

The same is true of everything else in the sporting world from Le Tour to the Premier League. At this point every sport is 'hopeful' that the season can start or be completed.

I'm hopeful that the Tour gets going in in August. But I certainly wouldn't be counting on it.

Macy0161

August is still a long way away at this stage. I think the keeping the hopes alive is as much for teams (regarding sponsorship) as much as for ASO in fairness. ASO will get through this, it's some of the teams and races that won't.

I'd personally prefer a run of the classics into the autumn.

The Worlds should 100% be cancelled now though - it's not really fair on last years winners how little opportunity they've had to race in the jerseys. They definitely have the mythical curse anyway!

Podge_irl

victor201 wrote: »

Etape du tour been rescheduled too , can't see that going ahead either .I already entered and flights and hotel booked ,but don't think a gathering of 18000 people would be allowed and i would prefer it was cancelled completely .

Aye, in the same boat. Hard to see it going ahead though, but I'll live in hope for now. Had a crowd of about 12 signed up for it and sharing a big villa - a problem in and of itself at the moment anyway.


It's easy to say rescheduling is "all about the money" but the Tour is the financial lifeblood for most of the teams. Plenty of them may not exist this time next year without it.