Photos Katrien Quartier Belgium (or otherwise indicated) and report courtesy of Belgian’s biggest Newspaper” Het Laatste Nieuws” with thanks
Bernard Hinault said in an interview with Le Parisien that he sees a cancellation of the Tour de France by the coronavirus as an option. “The cancellations currently in the cycling world must be viewed in a broader context,” said the five-time Tour winner. “Good health is more important than cycling.”
“Sport is fantastic and the Tour is one big party, but life is more important,” explained Hinault. “We are talking about the risk of dying. At such moments you should not think about cycling. The fans of the Tour de France also understand that. If the Tour should be cancelled we should not hesitate. We face a deadly disease. That is more important. ”
In Paris-Nice last week, Tour director Christian Prudhomme said that the Tour has only been stopped by the two World Wars in recent decades. “But we are currently living in a war against a virus,” Hinault countered. “We cannot say now that we will certainly organize the Tour despite everything. It is not up to me to make that decision and there is still time, but we have to ask ourselves if it is desirable for large groups of people to stand by the side of the road if there are still risks. Tens of thousands of people come to watch the Tour every day. ”
“We absolutely need to know at the beginning of June. The Tour is a gigantic machine. It takes an enormous amount of logistics, including police and hotels. That’s why I say: we shouldn’t delay too long when cancelling. ”
