France’s Top Sports Event Postponed Due to Covid-19 Measures as Spain’s Premium Cycling Race is Still On

CYCLING’S Tour de France has been postponed and faces cancellation, after the French government stretched their ban on mass gatherings into mid-July.

Le Tour was due to start on June 27, which puts this year’s race into serious jeopardy.

There had been suggestions last month from the French sports minister that the event could still happen without any spectators lining the route.

“Given that June 27 is now impossible for the Tour to start at its planned date, we are consulting with the (International Cycling Union) to try and find new dates,” race organisers said.

The last time the Tour was not held was in 1946, with the nation still emerging from the Second World War. It was also stopped during the First World War.

While cycling’s biggest event could be scrapped altogether, organisers are discussing potential later dates.

New plans could be announced before the end of April following discussions between the organisers and the international Cycling Union.

The Giro d’Italia has already been called off, along with the ‘monument’ one-day races: Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

But still on, at the moment, is La Vuelta a España with race director Javier Guillen recently saying that organisers are still planning as if the race is going to go ahead.

La Vuelta is scheduled to start in the Netherlands on August 14 and finishes in Madrid on September 6.

“It’s a new set of circumstances,” Guillen said.

“But the whole Vuelta team is working with motivation, and with the idea that La Vuelta will go ahead.”

The annual Road World Championships remain scheduled to take place at the end of September in Switzerland.