The Tour de France will be postponed from its scheduled June 27 to July 19 after French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic will prevent major public events from taking place until at least mid-July The Tour de France has been postponed from June 27 to July 19. The Spanish newspaper Marca claims that cycling's biggest race could take place between August 2 and 25, with a more precise date likely to be between Saturday, August 1 and Sunday, August 23.

In his address to the nation, President Macron extended the French blockade until May 11, after which it will be lifted in stages only if the incidence of COVID-19 declines.

Schools, restaurants, cafes, cinemas, and other leisure facilities will remain closed until May 11, and when they reopen, new rules will apply to limit the spread of the virus The COVID-19 virus has killed over 14,000 people in France.

Other sporting events have also been postponed or cancelled, but the Tour de France has great symbolic value to France. The Tour de France is also the economic cornerstone of men's professional cycling, generating an estimated 70% of the team's sponsor visibility and value; many teams have already cut or postponed their riders' salaries in light of the impact of COVID-19 on the global economy and team sponsors. They hope the Tour de France will be held after 2020.

According to "Marca" (open in new tab), the agreement between the three Grand Tour organizers means that the Tour de France will take precedence in the post-COVID-19 calendar, moving the Vuelta a España to September and the Giro d'Italia to October.

Since all three races will be held over a three-week period, the One-Day Classics and other races will be held around the Grand Tours and may overlap. Depending on the conditions in each country, some races could be held as early as August, giving the riders at least a month to train on the open road and do short stage races to prepare for the Tour de France.

Since ASO owns both the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España through Unipublic, it is likely that a beneficial scheduling arrangement can be made for both races. A gentlemen's agreement between the Grand Tour organizers appears to be a way to prevent the Vuelta a España and the Giro d'Italia from being shortened to just two weeks.

"Instead of 3-2-2 or 3-3-2, it will be 3-3-3," Giro d'Italia director Mauro Veni told Marca, following similar comments by Vuelta a España boss Javier Guigen.

However, the Vuelta Grande Pearl in the Netherlands appears to be in jeopardy due to added logistical problems. The Giro d'Italia has already decided that this year's race will not start in Hungary, and an additional stage in southern Italy will likely make up for the loss of the opening three stages.

Meanwhile, the Vuelta (which the organizers share with the Tour (ASO)), on the other hand, is not so clear about the August departure from the Netherlands, but for now they are calm as September will remain "their" month.

The important thing for everyone is to "save" the tool, and once the dates are set, as they are now, the end and start dates of the other two big tools will be fixed at least a week apart.

ASO has refused to comment on its plans for the Tour de France, but has reportedly set a May 15 deadline for consideration of race dates.