Bernard Hinault says the Tour de France should be cancelled to curb the spread of the Covid 19 coronavirus. In an interview with Le Parisien magazine (opens in new tab), the five-time Tour winner stressed that any postponement or cancellation of the cycling race should be considered in the broader context of a global pandemic.

"Sport is great. The Tour de France is a great party, but life is more important. We are talking about the risk of death. Frankly, in these cases we don't care about cycling."

Asked about Tour followers who will not be able to watch the race along the roadside or on TV in July, Inhofe replied: "Tour enthusiasts want people to be healthy above all. If we need to discontinue the Tour, we must not hesitate. We are up against a bloody disease.

Last week in Paris-Nice, Tour director Christian Prudhomme downplayed the possibility of a Tour cancellation due to a coronavirus outbreak, saying, "Only two world wars have stopped the Tour de France."

Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron announced measures to halt the spread of Covid-19 in France and said France was "at war" with the pandemic.

"We are at war with the virus, and that is also important," Inaud said. Frankly, we cannot afford to say, "We must maintain our tools at all costs." It's not my decision, and there is still time, but we have to ask ourselves if it is reasonable to keep people on the roads if there is still a risk." The Tour attracts tens of thousands of spectators every day."

Since retiring as a rider, Inaud has been an ambassador for Tour organizer ASO, and knows the enormous logistics and policing involved in moving the race around France for three weeks. the 2020 Tour is scheduled to begin in Nice on June 27, but Inaud has been working with the June Inaud believes that a decision on whether or not to host the event must be made by early June.

"Early June would be the limit," he said. The Tour is a huge machine and we need police and hotels. Frankly, we should not hesitate."

Inaud is currently sequestered on a farm in Brittany, "chopping wood without anyone disturbing us.

"I used to pedal like an idiot while listening to music. Now I have technology that tells me how much power I have and even shows me images of the cols I'm supposedly climbing," he said.

The UCI has officially suspended all racing until the end of April, and it seems unlikely that the World Tour will resume before June at the earliest. Even if the Tour does eventually take place, Hinault does not believe the riders will be unfairly penalized for not racing. "It will just be a slow-running Tour.