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Prudhomme au Figaro: "A closed session in cycling does not mean anything"

2020-05-05T15:45:35.905Z


After the revelation this Tuesday by the International Cycling Union of the new director of the Tour de France, the director of the Tour de France sheds light on the novelties and the device of a quarter which remains suspended from the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic .


Originally scheduled for April 29, the International Cycling Union on Tuesday released the calendar for the end of the cycling season. Three months during which three major Tours and the Monuments will be disputed (Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour of Lombardy). At the heart of this calendar is a novelty, Paris-Roubaix feminine. Christian Prudhomme, the director of the Tour takes stock. However, everything remains conditioned by the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Le Figaro / Sport24: The priority desired by the UCI for the Tour, the grand tours and the Monuments has been confirmed in the calendar…
Christian Prudhomme : Yes, the postponement and maintenance of the Tour was official since mid-April, there is a new dense, tight calendar, from the beginning of August until the beginning of November, with an end of the season later than usual, each wishing to register a maximum of races and offer a maximum of runners work. There has been real unity in the meetings that have been held in recent weeks, almost two months now, constructive meetings constantly to find this schedule proposed and validated by the International Cycling Union.

» READ ALSO - Paris-Roubaix: women too will be entitled to the cobblestones

However, a calendar remains suspended to health developments ...
Of course. This is what is most important. But it is about prospects, it is the right to hope for the runners, which is absolutely essential. It is also a goal for people simply. But all this is indeed conditioned by the health status of France and other countries, depending on the races.

What are the new features in this calendar?
There is a fundamental difference which is that where we usually did not like concomitances, there there are many. The idea is to offer a maximum of races for a maximum of teams and runners. And that they can go running, give pleasure but also exercise their profession. The Critérium du Dauphiné will be shorter than usual, but everything that makes up its essence, this mountain concentrate, the four mountain stages originally planned, will be on the way. We will start, as planned, from Clermont-Ferrand. We wanted to, like the Auvergne region and its president Laurent Wauquiez and Olivier Bianchi, the mayor of Clermont-Ferrand. With an arrival at Saint-Christo-en-Jarez, it was the arrival of the second. And then we take the last four stages, which are the mountain stages with certain passes that are part of the Tour de France, like the Madeleine, with a final in Megève, as it was planned, with the crossing of the coast from Domancy, the Cordon coast, which is very steep, before arriving at the Megève altiport.

Will the race be framed with specific provisions with regard to the measures announced by Edouard Philippe ("events of more than 5,000 people will not be organized before September")?
This will obviously be in compliance with the regulations in force at that time. We have been faced with this situation recently. This was the case for Paris-Nice. There was a gauge at 5,000 the first day, then 1,000, then 100. And that we had adapted to all that. We will obviously follow the directives of the authorities. We have numerous working meetings with the Ministry of Sports, with the various commissions or working groups set up by the UCI around, in particular around Professor Bigard (medical director of the International Federation), with the FFC.

"The glorious uncertainty of sport may be even greater, that's good"

Christian Prudhomme

The weather could play a role, especially for what will affect the big Tours, is that likely to worry you?
We know that the weather can always play a role, including July 26 in 2019. We got used to that, even if last July it was the first time that a stage of the tour was stopped for weather reasons , in previous years, sometimes we had been very close. I remember hill descents in Andorra, or even in Andorra, of this terrible storm the day when Dumoulin wins (in 2016). We know we have to deal with this. This will not only concern the big towers. This will also concern Paris-Roubaix for example, on October 25. The race will never have taken place so late. We did not find other solutions so that there is finally the rain that we have been waiting for 20 years in the spring… There was an attempt on the cobblestones on the Tour in 2014, with this dantesque stage. This will obviously affect the race. Just like the ability of runners to be fit. There are runners at the start of the season, there are runners at the end of the season. This poses question marks but in a good way this time. Tasty question marks, which make you salivate when you think what will it give? The glorious uncertainty of the sport may be even greater, that's good.

The feminine calendar displays novelties with in particular “The queen of the classics  which opens to women…
Yes, on October 25 for the first time, there will be Paris-Roubaix and its feminine version. It's a real sign. Something strong, spectacular. Completely in line with what we have been able to do in recent years, we created the "Course by le Tour" on the Tour de France, on one of the stages of the Tour; in Spain the Madrid Challenge, on the last stage in Madrid; Liège-Bastogne-Liège has had its female version for 3 years, following the Flèche Wallonne which has existed for more than 20 years, the Tour de Yorkshire… It is in a logic which is also that of the International Cycling Union and the French Cycling Federation which wishes to develop women's cycling. In general, on Paris-Roubaix day, there are Paris-Roubaix juniors, but Paris-Roubaix juniors on October 25, it would never have been organized, the young people are no longer on their bikes, this gives us a real place which will certainly not be something unique. It will be an opportunity to show those who say that if there is indeed a race that is not being done for them, it is this one, that on the contrary it is great. It's a real opening. We are trying to convert constraints into opportunities.

The next step is the Women's Tour de France?
We are working on it, but the recent calendar change, I am thinking in particular of the Olympic Games postponed by one in 2021, partly on the Tour de France, means that the great women's race that we wanted to launch that year was much less of meaning. But basically, that doesn't change anything. It may be postponed for a year, we are not going to create a race against the Olympic Games when the best cyclists in the world are at the Olympic Games

“It's almost four months into the Tour, let's leave time to time. We would like to have answers on everything, right away, we don't necessarily have them ”

Christian Prudhomme

On the subject of the tour, on the subject of in camera, is this a definitive no or does it remain a way out?
A closed session in cycling does not mean anything. Limitations, as it existed on Paris-Nice or as it will exist, perhaps or probably on the Dauphiné, there is a logic. After September, there will necessarily be fewer people than in July or August. The foreign public will be much, much, much less important and we will adapt with the State services, with the police, with the gendarmerie, with the communities… It's almost four months into our turn, let's leave time for the time. We would like to have answers on everything, right away, we don't necessarily have them. Everything will naturally depend on the evolution of the pandemic. In Tour de France, the most important is France. But that does not prevent us from setting goals and it is the case with the races and the calendar which is fixed.  

Do you have a deadline set with the authorities for the Tour de France?
No, for us the most important thing today is that professional riders can resume road training, it should be the case on Monday, I hope. The rest, let's leave time to time. All responses that are given too quickly are often contradicted immediately. Not just in sports.

Does the calendar give the riders enough time to get back into shape?
Yes, there will be tests before. This is the international calendar, France is the country with the most races, I cannot answer for the League. But setting the dates of the Tour was essential so that there was then the calendar, which happened. Now, the national calendars will be able to be set. Other events will be added to those of the world calendar which should allow the riders to be in conditions of preparation, perhaps not optimal but more than correct to compete in the Tour.

The world calendar

August 1: Strade Bianche (Italy)
August 5-9: Tour of Poland (Poland)
August 8: Milano-Sanremo (Italy)
August 12-16: Critérium du Dauphiné (France)
August 16: Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic (Grande- Brittany)
August 25: Brittany Classic - Ouest-France (France)
August 29-September 20: Tour de France (France)
September 7-14: Tirreno-Adriatico (Italy)
September 11: Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec (Canada)
September 13 : Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal (Canada)
September 29-October 3: BinckBank Tour
September 30: La Flèche Wallonne (Belgium)
October 3-25: Giro d'Italia (Italy)
October 4: Liège-Bastogne-Liège (Belgium)
10 October: Amstel Gold Race (Netherlands)
October 11: Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields (Belgium)
October 14: A Travers la Flandre (Belgium)
October 15-20: Gree - Tour of Guangxi (China)
October 18: Tour des Flanders (Belgium)
October 20-November 8: Vuelta Ciclista a España (Spain)
October 21: Driedaagse Brugge-De Panne (Belgium)
October 25 : Paris-Roubaix (France)
October 31: Tour of Lombardy (Italy)

Read also

  • Five monuments and three large towers in three months, the UCI unveils its calendar

Source: lefigaro

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