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The 2020 Tour de France rolled out from the French Riviera on Saturday, August 29—two months later than planned and under the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic. Despite the extensive measures taken by the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the French authorities, the virus could still shatter hopes of the world’s greatest bike race making it to the Paris finish line on September 20.
On Thursday, August 27, French Prime Minister Jean Castex put the town of Nice, where Stage 1 is starting, on a COVID-19 red-zone list with tightened health protocols. Teams will be expelled from the Tour de France if at least two members, including staff members, test positive for the coronavirus, Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme told AFP Saturday. (Previously, the UCI had proposed that such an exclusion from the race would apply only to the riders, not staff members.)
Other COVID-related guidelines include:
- Riders and staff must return two negative tests to enter the Tour “bubble,” and teams must be tested on both off days.
- Fans must wear face masks and maintain at least a two-meter distance from riders.
- 700,000 face masks and two tons of hand sanitizer will be provided at the race.
Belgian team Lotto reported two cases on Thursday, but the team mechanics concerned have already been replaced and the team set off Saturday with the rest of the peloton.
Follow along below for stage-by-stage updates, results, and highlights.
HOW TO WATCH FULL RESULTS SCHEDULE
Stage 1
Norway’s Alexander Kristoff of UAE Team Emirates won the first stage of the Tour de France on Saturday, August 29, in a mass bunch sprint—after a late pile-up crash—along the iconic Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France.
Kristoff takes hold of the race leader’s yellow jersey following a stage littered with crashes; the first rain in the Mediterranean city since June, a slippery 154-kilometer loop around Nice, turned the opening jaunt of the 21-day race into a lottery.
Key victims of the multiple crashes included French hopeful Thibaut Pinot and Julian Alaphilippe; Astana captain Miguel Angel Lopez of Colombia suffering a jaw-dropping downhill slide that saw him slam face-first into a traffic sign.
Top riders, led by the Jumbo team, were shocked by the crash. A truce was called that slowed down the race.
“That was great for me, allowed me to get right back in,” 33-year-old Kristoff, who had been around six minutes adrift after his own tumble, said.
Alaphilippe was forced to fight back alone from two minutes down after a mechanical issue. Fan favorite Pinot was involved in the last of many falls as the peloton swept along the rain-sodden seafront walkway.
The 2020 Tour set off two months later than planned due to the coronavirus and under strict health protocols, which allowed only 100 spectators at the finish line. French government minister Michel Blanquer sent out a rare message of hope the Tour would make it all the way to Paris in three weeks’ time.
“You can’t rule out the cancellation of the Tour, but it has been so well prepared that the possibilities of it happening are very slim,” he said.
Sunday’s 186-km stage also starts and ends in Nice, but cyclists are expected to ride under blue skies over the Alps in the Nice backcountry.
This will be updated. You can follow the race live here.
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Results and Highlights From the 2020 Tour de France - Bicycling
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