French minister has proposed to run the Tour de France without spectators. But it can be difficult to implement.
It is difficult to imagine that it can be done to keep the spectators away from the roads during last summer’s Tour de France.
that is How it sounds from Jesper Worre, who for years has organized the popular Danish stage race PostNord Denmark Around.
– It can not immediately. You can recommend that people keep away. But the race is extremely popular, and people want to see it, and you can’t block a country, ” said Jesper Worre.
According to French media, the French minister for sport, Roxana Maracineanu, aired the possibility of a tilskuerløst the Tour de France in an effort to settle the year’s biggest cykelbegivenhed despite coronakrisen.
But in contrast to football, which is played in a closed stadium, going on cycling on public roads, where spectators have free access.
– 200 kilometers of road can not block of, so that the audience can’t get near.
– One of the reasons that the sport is free to come to, is that we drive on public roads. That you can’t prevent people from coming out.
– You can recommend that people do not stand in large groups, but you can’t really do anything, ” said Jesper Worre.
Løbsarrangøren, ASO and the French authorities are considering several models to ensure that there will be run the Tour de France in 2020.
One option may be to move the race to later in the summer, where the OLYMPICS are now no longer in the way. A second proposal is therefore to try to limit access to the course.
Seen from a sporting perspective, it will well be possible, believe Worre.
– There are already run a lot of races with virtually no spectators in the countries, where you think one should try to develop cycling.
– When running around in the Middle east, there is practically no people. Then there was the WORLD cup in Qatar, there were no spectators. Nevertheless, it can be great cycling, ” said Jesper Worre.
Nor is Brian Holm, the Quick Step sports director, believes that the race will suffer great harm if it is run along the tilskuertomme roadsides.
He points out that you got a preview during Paris-Nice, which was running, while the crisis was at an early stage.
– Then drove one also without spectators. We can discuss whether it was right or wrong, but in cycling, I think, quickly, that you forgot that there were spectators. I think that the riders did.
– this is The smallest problem, ” says Brian Holm.
the Same attitude has Matt White, sports director at Mitchelton-Scott.
– A Tour de France without spectators would be strange. But many races early in the season and many of the smaller races don’t have large tilskuermængder.
– It will feel strange for riders to participate in our biggest event with a minimal number of people. But it will be able to operate, ” says White in a press release from the australian team.
According to French media will ASO and the authorities no later than 15. may decide what should happen with this year’s edition of the big stage races.
/ritzau/
