2023-07-02 20:26:00
On Monday, the Grande Boucle will arrive in France. The images of violence are not likely to reassure a certain number of participants who fear symbolic actions.
By Nathan Joubioux for Le Point Monday, the Tour de France arrives in France, six days after the death of Nahel. © ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT / AFP Published on 07/02/2023 at 8:26 p.m.
After two stages in Spain, the Tour de France arrives in France this Monday, July 3. Until Sunday July 23, the 176 riders of the peloton will cross the South-West, the Massif Central, the Alps and the Vosges before reaching Paris. A crossing of the country in the midst of social revolt after the death of Nahel, 17, killed by police fire after refusing to comply.
ASO, the organizer of the biggest cycling race in the world, pays “particular attention” to what is happening in the country. “We are in constant contact with the Ministry of the Interior”, explains the deputy director of the Grande Boucle, Pierre-Yves Thouault.
“We talk about it at the table between runners”
Cédric Vasseur, manager of Cofidis, who admits to being “saddened by the images that we see”, said he was “worried”, in West France. “The fear is there. We feel the runners somewhat disturbed. After the stage, they look at the images. They say to themselves: “We are going to go to this country…”. He claims to have “total confidence in the organizers”, but does not hide his fear that certain people “seek to set fire to Tour de France vehicles, seek to use the image of the Grande Boucle in the whole world “.
READ ALSOTour de France: Frenchman Victor Lafay wins the second stageFor their part, some runners follow the events carefully. This is the case of Matis Louvel, a member of the Arkéa-Samsic team. “We followed a bit by looking at social networks. I am from Rouen, there was a death in Petit-Quevilly, someone fell from the roof of a supermarket. A relative’s restaurant was also smashed,” he adds.
“Of course we follow French news, even if we are in a bubble and we are a little disconnected from that”, confirms, for his part, Benoit Cosnefroy. “We talk about it at the table between runners. We find it a bit crazy on the outside. We see scenes that we did not expect to see in France one day.
What consequences on the Tour?
If the arrival in Paris is still far away, the passage in certain big cities, like Bordeaux, leaves Cédric Vasseur perplexed. “When we see these images [des émeutes, NDLR], we say to ourselves that if the finish took place tomorrow in Paris, it would be very likely that the prefecture would cancel the stage, because we cannot start the race with all the spectators. When we see that Mylène Farmer’s concert is canceled, we say to ourselves that it is serious. We are all waiting for strong measures ”.
However, he does not want to think about a cancellation of stages or a stoppage of the competition. “I think the Grande Boucle has never been stopped. She has gone through a lot of storms, and will still know more, ”he says. “I think the French state will do everything to ensure that the Grande Boucle arrives in Paris. And even if he does, it won’t be a victory. The situation is extremely serious. We have to deal with the problem in depth”.
The arrival of the first stage in Bilbao, Spain, was a celebration. “We have to fight so that the Tour remains a party,” he concludes.
#riots #worry #peloton #arrival #France