How and Why the French Will Run the Tour this Year
A.S.O. (Amaury Sport Organization, owners and organizers of the Tour de France) together with the French Government, have every intention of holding their great race on the scheduled dates of June 27 through July 19, 2020. A brave, important move, one that I completely support and agree with, even from my isolation here in New York City, where, of course as you all are aware, the situation is pretty frightening and health concerns dominate everything we do.
The Tour is much more than a sporting event. When I used to report on the race for television, the technical and media books supplied by the organization would often contain quotes from famous artists and philosophers stating their observations and feelings for the event. One in particular always stayed with me: “The Tour de France has done more to create the national identity of France in the 20th Century than any other event, including the two world wars.”
The Tour unites France in a month of summer celebration and shows off the marvelous beauty and bounty of the country to a worldwide audience. As the largest annual sporting event in the world, the Tour de France is a point of immense national pride, which, more than any other consideration, is the reason the French government ploughing forward with their support of A.S.O.
Despair taking hold in the general population is a major fear of politicians in these times. You can see that in the opinion pages, in the press conferences and in the actions of the ruling political bodies. The public needs hope, they need a sense that things will come back to normal. Cancelling the Tour would be devastating to the French public, but holding it, especially to the incredible TV ratings they’d just about be guaranteed with the cancellation of the 2020 Olympics and L’Euro soccer matches, would represent a powerful symbol of French resilience and strength. Much can happen in 94 days between now and the scheduled start of the Tour: isolating tactics could have had an effect; rapid testing capabilities might be developed and certainly there will be a more knowledge of how to contain this virus.
Roxana Maracineanu, the French Minister of Sport, was a driving forcing in keeping Paris-Nice (famed one-week race and A.S>O. property) going this March while all around races were being cancelled and the world wondered at the seeming callousness of the French for continuing the event. Paris-Nice, to my mind, was in fact a dry run for the Tour this summer. No crowds, riders isolated in various ways, but fine television to satisfy the fan base. They’ve been really thinking this through and clearly have a plan.
It’s the plan that I’m going to try and bring to you over the next days, as I see it anyway, the how and why of A.S.O. and the French government in their quest to save the Tour de France and cycling along with it.