Three bubbles on the go (daily newspaper Junge Welt)

We are facing the most bizarre Tour de France in history. Despite the corona pandemic and its current spread on the Côte d’Azur, the 107th edition of the “Big Loop” with the “Grand Depart” is set to start on Saturday in Nice. As a reminder: When the Paris – Nice stage trip was canceled on March 14, the daily new infections with SARS-CoV-2 were around 900. The number of cases in France is currently over 3,500, and the trend is rising. In the 117-year history of cycling, the three weeks have never been so vague and unpredictably risky. The planned 3,484 kilometers will mainly be driven in the southern part of France.

The planned 21 stages actually offer wonderful terrain for exciting cycling. After the very demanding routes with detours to the Southern Alps and the Massif Central already put the peloton to the test in the first few days, the first week in the Pyrenees should be concluded. The organizer Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) broke with the less charming tradition of monotonous flat stages at the beginning of a tour. On Monday, September 7th, an airplane transfer over 400 kilometers is to be implemented as part of the first day of rest. This is where the fragile hygiene and safety concept will have to prove itself. Because the tour tops everything again. In North America, the NBA basketball league plays in one “bubble” and the NHL ice hockey league in two “bubbles”, the ASO has come up with three “bubbles”. One for the drivers. The second for all other team members, from cooks to mechanics. The third bubble would be reserved for the public, such as guests of honor and the press. And all of them are tested regularly. It remains to be seen what happens when three bubbles roll through France.

The second week starts with three flat stages. This also includes the 12th and longest day ride over 218 kilometers. It is said to be dedicated to the French cycling idol Raymond “Poupou” Poulidor, who died in 2019. Poupou made it onto the podium eight times without ever being able to win it and without even wearing the yellow jersey for one day. His nickname is affectionately used in French as a synonym for unlucky fellow. After this reminiscence, the terrain rises. The peloton should conquer the Massif Central again. Once that’s done, it’s off to the Alps. Whether many drivers can still enjoy their entourage on the subsequent second day of rest on September 14 is in the stars: If a team has two or more corona infections in seven days, the entire team will be suspended from the race.

From a sporting point of view, the final third tour week in the Alps would bring the decision. Challenging stages are set. There would also be a spectacular premiere: the first time you reach the top of the Col de la Loze, above the winter sports resort of Méribel, the roof of the tour is reached at 2,304 meters. However, the favorites have to manage their strength up to the penultimate stage in order to be able to master the time trial with the almost six kilometers long and up to 20 percent steep finish ramp up to the Planche des Belles Filles in the Vosges.

And what about the spectators who will be standing by the track? According to the ASO, a “sophisticated security concept with unprecedented effort should make the race disease-proof”. Among other things, mobile homes and cars are prohibited in the mountains. Hobby cyclists and pedestrians are allowed to go anywhere. Stricter access controls are only planned at various neuralgic points on the route, some narrow climbs will be completely blocked. In the respective stage locations, access to the team area is prohibited for fans; the finish area may only be entered by a limited number of registered guests. And now it’s getting bizarre: the spectators on the street are only required to keep a minimum distance of two meters from the cyclists. On the general mask requirement, tour director Christian Prudhomme only said: “Common sense says that you have to wear a mask.”

This statement is initially a surrender to the likely lack of need and / or ignorance of the audience. Above all, however, it is proof that the organizers are kneeling before capital interests. With the unconditional organization of this year’s Tour de France and almost all the other unusual World Tour races of the season in an extremely compact calendar, the ASO, in conjunction with the international cycling association Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), primarily serves the needs of the sponsors. In this context, a statement by Ralph Denk, team manager at Bora-Hansgrohe, is informative: “We have an incredible number of spectators on the route. But they don’t pay anything. So we don’t generate any income from it. We like to drive in front of people on the roadside, but financially we only participate indirectly, if at all. ”The sponsors, on the other hand, definitely want a street audience. This corresponds to the decision of the Tour de France organizers to reduce the opulent advertising caravan by only half in the run-up to each stage. Every day, almost 100 vehicles bring all kinds of advertising messages to the people. It can be assumed that there are traditionally promotional gifts for cycling fans on the streets.

Will the great loop reach Paris and the Champs-Élysées? Everything depends on the spread of the coronavirus. And thus of the decisions of the prefects of the 32 departments through which the Tour of France leads. Skepticism is appropriate. Despite all of this: Bonne chance – good luck!