Tour de France Beats Covid-19

 by Elen Jones

“Only wars stop the Tour” quoted Gary Imlach, TV presenter, at the culmination of  this year’s infamous race - the ceremonial Champs-Élysée final stage in the capital - on 20th September. And he was right.

In the midst of the pandemic, there was much deliberation as to whether the Tour de France would even be possible this year. It is an event requiring regimental organisation even at the best of times, due to its scale. But, miraculously, the iconic bike race was granted permission to go ahead. In truth, except for mask precautions and a few positive test scares the Tour was much the same as ever - at least in terms of enjoyment for the viewer. 

It was the 21 year old Slovenian rider, Tadej Pogacar, who claimed the overall victory and the coveted yellow jersey this year, as well as the polka dot ‘king of the mountains’ and white ‘young rider’ jerseys respectively. Winning by a 1 minute margin, having gained an unprecedented 2 minute lead in the time trial of the penultimate stage, Pogacar made sure that the cycling stayed as unpredictable as ever. 

Unlike some other sporting events, the tour has many layers. The whole race itself includes sprints, endless climbs, time trials and more. This may be  a reason for its status as  "the world’s most prestigious and most difficult bicycle race”. It allows for different strengths within teams to be displayed and celebrates all factions of the road biking world. Further to this variety, there is always the threat of not-so-ideal weather, especially when in mountainous areas. 

This year was particularly changeable, given that the start time was pushed forward so that the race commenced on August 29th rather than in July. This resulted in wince-inducing crashes and some major skidding on the first day, with sharp downpours just outside Nice.

The Tour itself began way back in 1903, held in order to raise funds for the newspaper ‘L’auto.’ But in principle it remains almost the same. While technology has advanced, the ITV4 coverage gives an amateur and raw element to viewing. Certainly, technology and innovation has its place in the modern race, and rightly. However this does not mean that the rider is overly commercialised and their persona remains untarnished. Individual or team success cannot be  predicted before the race, unlike in other sporting events, such as Formula 1.

Nobody is technically more qualified or in receipt of special treatment. I like this atmosphere as it really feels like the riders compete because they want to, not just because they have been assigned to a team. Reputation seems to be won by talent in respective stages as every tour is so different, due to France’s varied and beautiful landscape. 

Even if you are not particularly a cycling fan, (I would not really consider myself one yet), there is so much awe inspiring scenery to be enjoyed that you cannot help but be captivated at certain points of the race. Just an appreciation of this is enough to justify watching it religiously for the whole 3 weeks. I am sure that when it is aired in the earlier part of the summer, as it is most years, the rugged and undulating landscape provides the perfect excuse for a holiday to the Alps. I don’t have any hard data, but I can guarantee that the tour is a good persuasion for a French getaway.

Within France, the Tour is highly regarded as a national symbol of pride. At a time such as this, national unity is important, and one can certainly see a touching display of community, which we so rely upon, in the footage of local spectators along the roadside of the race.

The capital remained very quiet and empty, but at sunset, as Pogacar returned to the podium for his 3rd and final time, there was a sense of peace and togetherness. 

It is still questioned as we enter an autumn of potential further outbreaks if the Tour was justified. However, it has happened and closed spectacularly. Despite a few minor hiccups (like the Tour director, Christian Prudhomme, testing positive for COVID-19 in the middle of the race just after accompanying the French Prime Minister in the Tour lead car) the Tour de France has still provided the excitement of live sport and the comfort of routine over the last few weeks to my family and I. 

I would recommend to anybody, cycling aficionado or not, to watch Le Tour - whether that be for the scenery, the sportsmanship or for pure escapism, the Tour can provide entertainment for everyone.