Tour de France pins hopes on Plan B

The pressure was enormous and almost matched by the persistence. But eventually the last major event of the sporting European summer fell victim to the coronavirus pandemic. The 107th Tour de France has been postponed by about two months and is now scheduled to wind its way through France, a country severely affected by the virus, from August 29 to September 20. It's an ambitious plan that involves some serious risks.

 No 'ghost tour'

Most obviously at this point, nobody can reliably say whether a major sporting event can realistically take place again at the end of August in the middle of Europe. French President Emmanuel Macron had previously announced that, due to the pandemic, "events with large audiences could be held in mid-July at the earliest."

In view of the impact of the pandemic on France, "at the earliest" should not be confused with "at the latest." According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 130,000 people in the country are infected and more than 15,000 have already died (as of April 15).

France's health system is under heavy strain and some patients have even been transferred abroad, with some clinics working at their limit. Nobody can say exactly if and when the situation will ease. From a virological point of view, a bike race across the country with around 12 million spectators standing close together is a nightmare.

But that's exactly what is being planned. "The Tour de France will not take place behind closed doors," Tour Director Christian Prudhomme said at the beginning of April, leaving no room for doubt.

A "ghost tour" without spectators remains unthinkable for the organizers of the world's biggest bike race - with good reason. The tour agrees contracts with host cities and regions which bring in substantial sums. The Grand Départ, which opens the tour, costs the organizers a good €5 million euros ($5.5 million) while the finish to a stage, depending on the size of the city, would come in at €200,000 euros or more.

Cities and municipalities expect something in return, usually not only the TV pictures and mentions of the city in the media, but - perhaps most importantly - a strong boost for local tourism. Furthermore, sponsors pay to get their brand seen by millions as the riders and the caravan of vehicles pass along the roads and pavements. So the spectators are a must. But is it anything even possible this year?

Mixed feelings

Nikias Arndt is not so sure. The German professional cyclist is road captain for the Sunweb racing team. He hopes he and his team will get the chance to compete in France, but he was contemplative when speaking to DW.

"At the moment that is still a long way off for me. I still find it hard to imagine that a mass event like the Tour de France can take place," he said. "Here in Germany the situation is halfway under control, but worldwide it is extremely different. Cycling is global, our team is currently spread over three continents. It won't be easy. But we are now preparing one hundred percent for the replacement date."

The new date at least provides some clarity in order to plan. Instead of the uncertainty of when and if cycling races can be held again, the industry again has a target date: August 29. Before that there should, in theory, be national championships, followed by the Giro d'Italia, the Vuelta in Spain, various classics and the World Championship. But all these pale in significance when weighed against the Tour.

It generates €150 million annually and for many teams represents the core of their business. For the German team Bora-Hansgrohe, the Tour accounts for 70 percent of its annual advertising revenue, estimated team boss Ralph Denk in an interview with DW.

"This is the greatest plus for us," says the 46-year-old. "Unlike in football, we don't live off the spectators at the side of the track. Better a Tour de France without spectators than no Tour de France at all."

Marc Madiot, who has been running French oufit Groupama FDJ, who count French hope Thibault Pinot among their ranks, for 25 years added: "Many teams and drivers would be in big trouble if the Tour did not take place at all. We teams have no income from TV rights. We live from the sponsors, they are our lifeline."

United front?

The focus and message of the organizers now revolves around unity, something which hasn't always been apparent of late. 

"In the past weeks there was constant communication between riders, teams, organizers and other relevant third parties," read a statement on the Tour's website. "All this has been done with the support of the UCI, the world governing body responsible for organising a new global cycling calendar in which the Tour has a place of honour. The organizers of the Tour de France are in regular contact with all the parties involved, from local communities to the authorities."

Originally scheduled to start in Nice on June 27, it was already clear on Tuesday that the world's most important race wouldn't be able to begin on this day. Now it's time for Plan B.