Tour de France: the first week of the Tour hit by the legislative elections, can political news overshadow the competition ?

Le Tour, une organisation au cordeau qu'il faudra concilier avec les législatives. EPA – MARTIN DIVISEK

The Tour de France must be organized to ensure good organization concomitant with the vote of the French.

Hit by the anticipated legislative elections, the Tour de France, which starts on Saturday from Florence, is overtaken by the political situation in France which is forcing its organizers to adapt , with there also a part of the unknown.

The Grande Boucle, part of the country's heritage, has always had a political connotation, to the point that, come summer, the director of the Tour is almost elevated to the rank of head of state, according to the formula by the writer Antoine Blondin: "General de Gaulle is the president of the French eleven months out of twelve. In July, it was Jacques Goddet", the boss of the event between 1937 and 1988.

This political dimension will still be present this year, particularly when the race arrives on July 6 in Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises, the village of General de Gaulle, who came to greet the peloton on his doorstep in 1960.

"A sacred symbol for the 80th anniversary of the Landing", underlines the current director of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme, who every year welcomes dozens of elected officials in his car to follow a stage, including the President of the Republic. The ballet is rehearsed and reaches a peak every six years the year preceding the municipal elections when the ambitious redouble their vigor.

The Troyes stage in the middle of the second round of the legislative elections

But the dissolution announced on June 9 by Emmanuel Macron, on the evening of a historic victory for the far right in the European elections, shakes up habits and forces the organizers to reconsider part of their plans.

"For the first round of the legislative elections, on June 30, we will still be in Italy. The impact mainly concerns the second round on July 7, where we will be in Troyes for the famous white paths stage", explains Prudhomme who picked up his phone, "the next day"of the announcement of the dissolution, to adjust the arrangements with the mayor of Troyes, François Baroin, and the prefect of Aube, Cécile Dindar.

Because the Tour de France, before being a bicycle race, is an immense barnum of 5,000 accredited people which travels from city to city, attracting millions of spectators to the roadside. Opening polling stations in towns padlocked by departure or arrival can quickly turn into an organizational nightmare.

"We are lucky to have recent experience since the Tour de France was in the Côtes d’Armor for the second round of the departmentals and regional 2021. We proposed the same plan as at the time", develops Mr. Prudhomme.

Reception of elected officials, polling stations… Everything is turned upside down

This plan consists of "a whole series of shear points, places where people can cross" to go to the polls. "Usually, everything is blocked for two hours before the runners pass. There, it will be ten minutes before and ten minutes after", with appropriate signage, explains Mr. Prudhomme. Across the City of Troyes, polling stations will also remain open exceptionally until 8 p.m., instead of 6 p.m., indicates the town hall.

Beyond the logistics on voting day, it's everything between the two rounds but also the week following the elections that risks being turned upside down. “We have a lot of question marks about elected officials who were supposed to be there, because I don't have a complete view of who is involved in the campaign or not, explains Mr. Prudhomme. In Colombey-les-deux-églises, many department presidents wanted to come. Who will really be there ? I don't know.”

We'll see the results of the elections. I can't say anything else

For example, there was talk that former President François Hollande would be invited to a stage, but that was before he presented his candidacy in Corrèze. Emmanuel Macron could come during the third week of the Tour. Who will govern France then ? "We'll see the outcome of the elections. “I can't say anything else,” says Christian Prudhomme, when asked about what the prospect of seeing the far right in charge inspired in him.