At the beginning of May 2021, when the government presented its progressive deconfinement plan, the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, assured it. in the columns of Parisian : ” Yes “, the Tour de France 2021 would take place normally.
Admittedly, this Grande Boucle, which starts on Saturday June 26 in Brest, returns to its traditional summer calendar, one year after being postponed to the end of August due to the health situation. It also marks the return of its popular advertising caravan in its original form: 150 vehicles this year against a fleet reduced to just a hundred in 2020. “The party is back! “, rejoices Pierre-Yves Thouault, deputy director of the Tour.
But, after a year of an unprecedented health crisis, the concept of normality seems in some ways out of date. Despite the anticipation of the lifting of the obligation to wear a mask outdoors and of the curfew from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. – on June 17 and 19 respectively instead of June 30 – certain restrictions remain in force, in particular those which concern the gauges of the gatherings.
Sanitary pass and public gauges
“We would obviously have liked more flexibility, knowing that the health constraints fall on the 1er July on the territory “, notes François Cuillandre, socialist mayor of Brest and president of Brest metropolis.
However, the city councilor is relieved because the public, “Subject to a tonnage of four thousand people subject to presentation of the health pass”, will be able to get as close as possible to the starting areas and along the runners’ passage in the streets of his town for the first stage, which will rally Landerneau (187 kilometers).
For the three days preceding the big departure from Brest as for the four stages crossing Finistère, Côtes-d’Armor, Morbihan and Ille-et-Vilaine, the sanitary pass (PCR or antigen test of less than forty- eight hours or a full vaccination certificate) will be requested from spectators located closest to the start and finish areas. As in the big final difficulty of the second stage, between Perros-Guirec and Mûr-de-Bretagne – Guerlédan, where the public will be subjected to the presentation of the sanitary pass in the climb of 2 kilometers at 7% average.
The authorities specify that the route is open access, “With compulsory wearing of a mask, physical distancing and ban on assembling more than ten people”. M. Cuillandre recalls that “The accesses, in the streets along which the runners will pass in Brest”, to get to the team presentation, Thursday June 24, or to the start line, Saturday June 26, “Will be controlled by the organization of the Tour, with whom we have worked hand in hand, as well as with the State services. And we have come a long way … “, he breathes.
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