The Tour de France will be raced from August 29 to Sept. 20, organisers of the event announced on Wednesday, postponing cycling’s flagship event originally slated to start on June 27 due to the coronavirus lockdown.
The new dates, the latest ever for the Tour founded in 1903, follow the extension of a ban on public gatherings until mid-July.
The race would follow the same route as the original itinerary with a start in Nice.
While the news comes as a relief to professional cycling teams and fans, it also moves the three-week race out of its traditional slot in the summer holidays where crowds of around 12 million would have been expected to gather in festive spirit.
With the Olympics and Euro 2020 both postponed, the Tour is the last major event remaining on the summer sports calendar.
