Cancelling Giro and Tour de France would be disaster - UCI's Lappartient

[webfact]

Cancelling Giro and Tour de France would be disaster - UCI's Lappartient

 

FILE PHOTO: Cycling - 5th La Course by Le Tour de France - 112.5-km from Annecy to Le Grand-Bornand - July 17, 2018 - UCI President David Lappartient attends the podium ceremony. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

 

AIGLE, Switzerland (Reuters) - Cancelling the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France would be a disaster for cycling, says UCI president David Lappartient whose sport has already been badly hit by the coronavirus crisis.

 

Several races, including the Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan-San Remo, have been called off as Italy deals with rapidly escalating numbers of infections and deaths.

 

The Giro d'Italia, the second-biggest race behind the Tour de France, is due to start on May 9 in Budapest, ending in Milan on May 31. Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Monday all sports events in the country were suspended.

 

Asked by Reuters about the prospect of the Giro and Tour de France falling victim to the coronavirus crisis, Lappartient said: "That would be a disaster for our sport of course if we can't have the Giro D'Italia or the Tour de France."

 

Cycling blue-riband event the Tour de France starts in July and Lappartient expressed some optimism that by that time the worst of the coronavirus outbreak may be over.

 

"Maybe the gap of two months in between (the Giro and Tour de France) will have also some consequences on the virus," the Frenchman said. "Maybe in summer we hope so, that it will after the summit of the peak, decrease.

 

"So we hope that these races will be able to take place. But we are, due to the situation in Italy, a little more worried today with the situation with the Giro d'Italia.

 

"We know what the decision from the Italian government is until April 3, but who knows what will be the situation after. So there is a potential risk that the Giro can be cancelled."

 

The Giro began in 1909 and has been held every year apart from during the two World Wars while the Tour de France was first held in 1903 and has been contested every year since 1947.

 

Italy has been severely hit by coronavirus and is second behind China in terms of infections. The number of recorded cases has jumped by 24% over the past 24 hours to 9,172 while the number of deaths rose 26.5% to 463.

 

France, which recorded its 21st death on Monday, has banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people as the death toll and number of coronavirus infections continued to rise.

 

The Paris-Nice race is ongoing, but with infections rising in France, Lappartient said there was a danger that race might have to be cancelled too or fans barred from watching it.

 

"I hope Paris-Nice can go to the end. This is indeed the goal. But maybe the prefect (French state representative) will have to decide whether or not they close for the finishing area without fans and so on," he said.

 

"This is not what we want, but if it's the only solution to organise the race, we'll have to go ahead with this. So we are in touch day by day (with race organisers ASO).

 

"We have to follow the situation with the virus and take the best decision at the moment."

 

(Reporting by Iain Axon; Writing by Martyn Herman; Editing by Ken Ferris)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-03-10

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[Matzzon]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Cancelling the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France would be a disaster for cycling, says UCI president David Lappartient

Why would it be a disaster? The races goes every year, and will be back next year if the population still exists. Let´s look at it this way. It´s much better to look at the well being of the population, instead of doing like Thailand. 

[Bluespunk]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Cancelling the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France would be a disaster for cycling, says UCI president David Lappartient

Tough. Public safety comes first, better safe than cycling. 

[Chomper Higgot]

I think it better to describe such an outcome as a disappointment, perhaps a bitter disappointment.

 

I certainly would be disappointed, but then would either of these races be anywhere near as exciting without the crowds, especially on the mountain stages.

 

.....

Side news, Mrs CH has taken note of my disappointment and rumbled her Chomper commenting, ‘does this mean you might have to cancel that three week romantic road trip around France you were promising to take me on?’.

[spiekerjozef]

Great ! No more road blocks.

[Benmart]

Famines, hurricanes, tsunamis  earthquakes, accidental explosions are often described as disasters; claiming lives, inflicting hardship on the survivors and costing extreme amounts of money. Canceling Giro(s) and Tour de Farce would hardly qualify as a disaster. (Noun. a sudden event, such as an accident or a natural catastrophe, that causes great damage or loss of life.).

[UnkleGoooose]

If some junkies in spandex don't go for a bike ride, then I suspect that the world will still continue to turn. Hardly a disaster. Now pineapple on pizza, that's a disaster.

[pacovl46]

Cancelling Giro and Tour de France would be disaster = no money to be earned!

 

Unbelievable! What's more important, your race or getting on top of a global epidemic?!

[Lacessit]

4 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I think it better to describe such an outcome as a disappointment, perhaps a bitter disappointment.

 

I certainly would be disappointed, but then would either of these races be anywhere near as exciting without the crowds, especially on the mountain stages.

 

.....

Side news, Mrs CH has taken note of my disappointment and rumbled her Chomper commenting, ‘does this mean you might have to cancel that three week romantic road trip around France you were promising to take me on?’.

Apparently officials in Australia are thinking in terms of playing Australian Rules football matches in empty stadiums. The teams will still make money from broadcast rights. The losers will be the caterers and staff who won't have anyone to sell overpriced food and drink to.

[Inepto Cracy]

Bahrain F1 on 22 March 2020, will be run at an empty track.Only televised audience. Other F1 races and MotoGP races may do likewise. Just been announced.

[Yorkshire Tea]

Formula 1 without the crowds.  Will anyone notice?

[Yorkshire Tea]

4 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

 

 

I certainly would be disappointed, but then would either of these races be anywhere near as exciting without the crowds, especially on the mountain stages.

 

.....

 

Won't be the same without drunken idiots getting punched by Froomy

[spinner2020]

27 minutes ago, Inepto Cracy said:

Bahrain F1 on 22 March 2020, will be run at an empty track.Only televised audience. Other F1 races and MotoGP races may do likewise. Just been announced.

But not Melbourne? VIC government too embarrassed by the $70m they throw at it to do the decent thing....... Pathetic.

[tifino]

It'd be good, not to see the blustering twerp crowds that invade the TourDeFrance track , inside the barriers 

 

no more touching nor yelling at, nor spitting towards the riders

 

[30la]

Dude, don't just think about money, if it's necessary to cancel sporting events just do it, it's for the good of the world population.

[URMySunshine]

The world is pretty much going to stop for at least several months if indications so far carry forward and sadly I can't see that not happening. Any personal planning should factor that in along with massive supply chain issues that are developing which will mean a reduction in the variety and quantity of many things on the shelves we take for granted. To the flu / hysteria claque do your homework guys it's not that difficult. 

 

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1237020518781460480.html

[Lacessit]

I am wondering if we all would not be better off going about our business, and letting nature take its course. We all have to die of something. It depends on whether people regard a death rate of 3.5% as acceptable.

Perhaps all the brouhaha about coronavirus is because the vast majority of the world's politicians are elderly, and that is the most vulnerable cohort.

[Tug]

Tour de France beeing cancled is not a disaster it is a disappointment now perhaps it’s a disaster for those who profit from it 

[digger70]

12 hours ago, webfact said:

Cancelling Giro and Tour de France would be disaster - UCI's Lappartient

Canceling is for Health reasons .If everything is ok Next year they can Continue again .It will just be an slight problem now for the people involved as in extra income of money.  

[androokery]

The disaster for these sports may be that, the public having experienced that life is just fine without some sporting events, they will never be funded again. 

[URMySunshine]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

I am wondering if we all would not be better off going about our business, and letting nature take its course. We all have to die of something. It depends on whether people regard a death rate of 3.5% as acceptable.

Perhaps all the brouhaha about coronavirus is because the vast majority of the world's politicians are elderly, and that is the most vulnerable cohort.

Maybe that is what is happening in Thailand helped by the fact the virus is very delicate outside of the body and won't live long in the hot and humid Thai weather. I do hope so and if so Thailand is very lucky - along with the fact there is a fatalist attitude inoculated into the population. What happens happens. But whatever their tourism industry will be nuked for the foreseeable. That and student /worker unrest I expect the temperature is going rise very quickly on that front virus or no virus. 

Edited March 10, 2020 by URMySunshine

[StreetCowboy]

3 hours ago, digger70 said:

Canceling is for Health reasons .If everything is ok Next year they can Continue again .It will just be an slight problem now for the people involved as in extra income of money.  

Our Saturday morning ride is going ahead, if you want to join us down at the station.   There's no evidence of human - gastropod transmission, so the FIE Grand Prix will be carrying on Saturday evening but specatators are reminded to err on the side of caution regarding the use of alcohol to fight the risk of transmission, and also to transmit the risk of fights.

 

SC

[Gillyflower]

I hear that the final

of the 6 Nations Rugby has been cancelled until October.  Much more important than the Tour de France.

 

[Pique Dard]

this is globalization! a virus which started from a remote part of china is now affected the entire planet earth!