Ongoing poor weather on the Continent looks set to cause disruption to the Tour de France next month, just as it did to the Giro d’Italia in May, when some last-minute alterations were needed to key Alpine stages with one abandoned altogether.
Whereas the disruption to the Italian race arose through unseasonal snowfalls that rendered some roads in the Alps impassable, the biggest problem facing Tour organisers ASO surrounds roads in the Pyrenees being washed away by flash flooding, as shown in a picture accompanying an article on France 3 Acquitaine.
President François Hollande was due to visit the French Pyrenees on Friday to see the devastation wrought by heavy thunderstorms for himself, with widespread damage also reported across the Spanish border.
The race is due to spend a weekend in those mountains on the border between France and Spain in a fortnight’s time, with a Stage 8 summit finish planned at the ski resort of Ax-3-Domaines on 6 July, while some big passes including the Col de Peyresourde feature in the following day’s Stage 9.
For now, Tour organisers ASO have adopted a “wait and see” approach, according to local news reports, the fact that the problem relates to the condition of the road rather than meteorological conditions does at least afford them a bit more room for manoeuvre than their counterparts at RCS in Italy.
Speaking to Agence France Presse, race director Christian Prudhomme spared a thought for those who had been affected by flooding.
While acknowledging that there were worries over the earlier part of Stage 9 in particular, he did not believe that the key part of that stage, from the Peyrosourde and over the Col de Val Louron-Azet, followed by the ascent to La Hourquette d'Ancizan, were a major cause for concern.
ASO does say however that it will continue to monitor the situation.
Just found this amazing item on AliExpress. Check it out!...
I think that's debatable. It's certainly more socialist in its state ownership of some major parts of the economy, workers' representation and the...
*bursts back into the room hours after the conversation has moved on*...
Damn, that sucks. I generally feel pretty relaxed with my bike on Avanti trains because the compartment is locked and I don't have to worry about...
They are ugly, and presumably require registration to use them. But the argument "it should be car parking instead" is absurd. Surely a camera and...
It's endemic now. Watched a skip lorry jump two reds within 100m on my commute this morning. No intention of stopping.
And if they park on the cycle lane, they're still impacting the flow of traffic. Different traffic - two-wheeled, human-powered traffic rather...
I strugle to think other as cool bikes as this. If my city was flatter and I fitter, I would drool over it....
If RoadCC and similar specialist mass media organs were serious about being not just ethical about climate change factors but about the whole...
Hellish! Barely used, clearly dangerous, slowing competent cyclists down while pandering to the clueless, a serious threat to pedestrians, won't...