© 2026 WGCU News
PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Tour De France Sets New Dates Following Macron's Ban On Gatherings Until Mid-July

By Laurel Wamsley
Published April 14, 2020 at 12:18 PM EDT
Spectators watch cyclists compete in the fourth stage of the Tour de France in eastern France last July. Organizers say the 2020 race will begin in late August.
Anne-Christine Poujoulat
/
AFP via Getty Images
Spectators watch cyclists compete in the fourth stage of the Tour de France in eastern France last July. Organizers say the 2020 race will begin in late August.

Updated Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. ET

Race organizers have set new dates for the 2020 Tour de France: Aug. 29 to Sept. 20.

The announcement came a day after the Tour said it would be postponed, following French President Emmanuel Macron's declaration that a strict nationwide lockdown will continue until May 11 and a ban on public gatherings will extend to mid-July.

The three-week cycling race had been slated to begin June 27 in Nice and end in Paris on July 19.

The rescheduling of the 2,100-mile race creates new challenges for the other major cycling races on the calendar. The Tour's new dates conflict with La Vuelta a España, currently still scheduled for Aug. 14-Sept. 6; both races have the same organizer, the Amaury Sport Organisation. The Tour also overlaps with the World Championships, scheduled to take place in Switzerland from Sept. 20-27. The Giro d'Italia has been postponed, with new dates not set.

"We all hope that the 2020 Tour de France will help to turn the page on the difficult period that we are currently experiencing," the Tour said in a statement.

Organizers have dismissed the idea of holding the tour but banning spectators from lining the course. "The Tour de France is 3000km of smiles," Amaury Sport Organisation chief Christian Prudhomme has said, according to The Local France. "We won't run a Tour de France without the fans."

Because of the confinement measures in place, Prudhomme has said cyclists would need at least two months to get back into racing shape. Borders will need to be reopened so that cyclists from other countries can compete. In some years the Tour's route makes forays into neighboring countries, but the 2020 route is entirely within France.

The Tour de France is the best-known event in men's cycling and generates some 70% of teams' sponsor visibility and value, according to Cycling News, which noted that many teams have already cut or deferred riders' salaries because of the virus. Cycling's governing body has furloughed staff and cut leaders' salaries.

The last time that there was no tour was in 1946, as Europe was recovering from World War II.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Tags
Coronavirus
Laurel Wamsley
Laurel Wamsley is a reporter for NPR's News Desk. She reports breaking news for NPR's digital coverage, newscasts, and news magazines, as well as occasional features. She was also the lead reporter for NPR's coverage of the 2019 Women's World Cup in France.
See stories by Laurel Wamsley
Trusted by over 30,000 local subscribers

Local News, Right Sized for Your Morning

Quick briefs when you are busy, deeper explainers when it matters, delivered early morning and curated by WGCU editors.

  • Environment
  • Local politics
  • Health
  • And more

Free and local. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

More from WGCU
  • Environment
    'Paddlers Guide to Everglades' topic of next Calusa Blueways talk
    WGCU Staff
    “A Paddlers Guide to Everglades National Park” is the third talk in a series of free Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail-related programs. The talk will be at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3, at the Wa-Ke Hatchee Recreation Center, 16760 Bass Road, in Fort Myers.
  • Protesters line the I-75 Estero Overpass Bridge to take part in the "Free America Walkout" protest orchestrated by WomensMarch.com on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026.
    Government & Politics
    National protest to current political, ICE activities draws a companion event in Estero
    Samuel Brucker
    Nearly 49,000 people took to the streets Tuesday afternoon to take part in more than 1,200 events across the U.S. Locally, the Free America Walkout, orchestrated by WomensMarch.com, brought nearly 40 people, waving signs, flags, and banners, to the I-75 Estero Overpass Bridge. Countless drivers in a variety of vehicles passed under on I-75, many honking horns as the demonstrators protested the Trump Administration's immigration policies, the conduct of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, and what the organizer contended is a slippery slope toward fascism.
  • Federal immigration officers stand outside of a home Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in Maplewood, Minn. Immigration officers are asserting sweeping power to enter homes without a judge's warrant, says memo obtained by AP.
    Government & Politics
    Memo: Immigration officers assert sweeping power to enter homes without a judge's warrant
    The Associated Press
    An Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo obtained by The Associated Press reveals that the agency allows immigration officers to forcibly enter homes to make arrests without a judicial warrant. This change reverses previous guidance and raises concerns about constitutional protections against illegal searches. The memo, signed by ICE's acting director, states that administrative warrants are sufficient for forced entry if there's a final order of removal. This policy could face legal challenges and criticism from advocacy groups. Whistleblower Aid, representing two government officials, describes the directive as seemingly unconstitutional and a significant shift in arrest powers. The Associated Press obtained the memo and whistleblower complaint from an official in Congress.