A more open race, but a very significant cost
ASO’s plan is as follows: the peloton would take the route of the last Olympics three times, passing through the famous cobblestone rue Lepic before going around the Butte Montmartre. After three loops in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, the runners would descend towards the Champs Elysées where the finish would still be set. A program which seems attractive – and which should greatly please Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel – with the result being a much more open race between adventurers, punchers and sprinters. Far from the traditional scenario of the last stage, padlocked by the teams of fast men…
Except that the police headquarters issued “very big reservations about this project”according to The Parisian. The organizational cost (financial, human and logistical) would then be much higher than on the traditional loop in the center of Paris. It would thus be necessary to deploy at least ten units of mobile forces in the middle of July, install filter barriers, but also block part of Paris to traffic for three days.
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Modifying the last stage of the Tour de France could therefore remain at the dream stage for ASO. Unless politics gets involved. According to the echoes relayed by The Parisianthe Paris town hall would be charmed by the project and would seek to ride the wave of the success of the last Olympic Games. Keeping the Olympics route would thus allow us to keep a bit of the Olympics in Paris.
