Tour de France to take place from Aug 29 to Sept 20, Latest Others News - The New Paper
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Tour de France to take place from Aug 29 to Sept 20

Staging the Tour de France this year despite the Covid-19 pandemic was vital for road cycling, the race's director Christian Prudhomme said yesterday.

The sport's governing International Cycling Union announced that the Tour, initially due to be held from June 27-July 19, would be staged from Aug 29-Sept 20 amid measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

"We started to talk about a postponement to the local politicians as soon as March 18 - a day after France was put in lockdown - and all of them were on board," Prudhomme told Reuters.

"Everyone in the world of cycling supported the idea, even those who usually don't like us. Some teams said they would have to close down without the Tour in 2020."

The Tour route will remain largely unchanged, with a start in Nice and the traditional final parade on Paris' Champs-Elysees. - REUTERS

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