Initially scheduled for Sunday July 7, between Nice and the Col de La Couillole, the Stage of the Tour de France has just been brought forward by one day, due to the second round of the legislative elections. What if cycling was – also – politics?
On June 11 around 8 p.m., an official press release from the Mayor of Nice, Mr. Christian Estrosi, announced that due to President Macron’s decision (on the evening of Sunday June 9) to dissolve the National Assembly and organize a vote ( two laps), on Sundays June 30 and July 7, the cyclosportive, L’Étape du Tour de France 2024, was postponed by one day. Thus, the event which was to take place between Nice and the Col de La Couillole on Sunday July 7 has been brought forward by one day. You can do the math, the said Stage will take place on Saturday July 6, on a strictly unchanged route, with timetables preserved. The period for collecting bibs has, for its part, been extended…
The idea of this change of date, to say the least impromptu, is to allow the race to take place in optimal security conditions without the second round of these elections being impacted. Obviously, things were not done without consultation. And this decision results from an agreement between ASO, organizer of the race, the Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes, Hugues Moutouh and, therefore, the Town Hall of Nice and its mayor, Mr. Chrisitian Estrosi, at the initiative of this request.
Towards a simply offbeat welcome?
Following this agreement, the organization had to make a certain number of adjustments in order to accommodate the approximately 15,000 competitors in the best possible conditions. Therefore, it was decided to extend the opening hours of the arrival village and to adjust the bib collection period.
It will therefore be possible to collect the runner’s pack from Thursday, July 4 (be careful, it’s the United States National Day!) in the morning and until Friday, July 5 at 9 p.m. Shuttle schedules will also be readjusted to allow participants to optimize their travel.
On the other hand, we do not know what “fate” is reserved for the partners, sponsors and exhibitors, who had planned to place a stand in the village. Will they be able to arrive on site on time? Will they have the capacity to be operational a day in advance?
A multitude of other questions…
We know that the beginning of July marks the end of the school year, the end of exams, the start of the Men’s Tour de France and for many, the start of vacation. The organization of this period regularly proves delicate. It is often a matter of being proactive, to book – at the best price – your transport (by train or plane, in particular), your accommodation or your leisure activities…
A delay of “only” 24 hours completely disrupts these organizations and postponements are not always possible! So the questions arise? Will the tour operators, who take care of the “Tour de France Stage stay” for a large number of foreign cyclists, particularly Anglo-Saxon and American (they are often the same) be able to modify the dates of these travel?
Will accommodation providers (hotels, campsites, lodges, guest houses, Air B&Bs, etc.) be able to modify reservations? Will they be able to provide the same service? And will they be able to manage the (more or less significant) mass of cancellations that are sure to occur?
Likewise, as we know, there are, around this Stage of the Tour de France, a certain number of service providers, who intervene, directly or indirectly, upstream, with traders, partners, participants or guides. . Will they be impacted?
At the end of the day, there is only one certainty: insurers will have a lot of work, if only to answer all these questions!
