THE TOUR IN THE TIME OF COVID

Covid-19 has affected the Tour’s reception both on the ground and on the airwaves – Peter Cossins charts how

- Peter Cossins

The 2020 Tour de France will forever stand out as an extraordinary edition of the race. It’s been dominated by images of masked riders being acclaimed on the podium by scatterings of masked fans and stage winners rolling into the finish in between barriers with no spectators at all. The threat and fear of Covid-19 has affected the Tour in every imaginable way.

The reception that the race has had since its Grand Départ in Nice has varied from stage to stage. Some of the starts and finishes have been extremely quiet, partly due to restrictions imposed because of the virus, but also because the race is taking place outside the summer holiday season for the first time. Others have been as packed as they would have been in mid-July. The Saturday morning start in the centre of Clermont- Ferrand, for instance, was so busy that the race ‘bubble’ was breached in order to relieve the crush of fans. The stages on the west coast drew large crowds as well, although it was interesting to note that the average age appeared significantly higher than 60 as a consequence of the schools being back.

It was in the countryside that the lack of spectators was most apparent. Long stretches of road which in normal times would have been lined with camper vans and picnicking day-trippers were deserted. The race’s sense of festival was often not apparent. This was particularly the case in the mountains, where the authorities imposed tight restrictions.