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SECURITY

Special ops units to police Tour de France for first time

The world's favourite bicycle event Le Tour de France is set to be policed for the first time by the elite law enforcement agents from the GIGN this year.

Published: 24 May 2016 11:39 CEST
Special ops units to police Tour de France for first time
Photo: AFP
The Tour de France will be monitored by the elite forces from the country's National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN) for the first time this year, said Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve on Tuesday. 
 
“It's our collective responsibility to ensure the safety of the spectators of the Tour de France,” the minister said.
 
The GIGN special operatives work with counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, and the protection of government officials, among other things. 
The race will be monitored by helicopters, 50 police motorbikes, and 23,000 officers and and military police on foot patrol, the paper reported. 
 
“Everyone understands that this year the Tour de France is taking place in a particular context,” said Cazeneuve, stressing that the “terrorist threat” remains “very high”.
 
France's parliament confirmed last week a two-month extension of the state of emergency that has been in place since November's jihadist attacks to cover the Euro 2016 football tournament and Tour de France.
 
This year's race, the 103rd of its kind, will begin on July 2nd at Mont-Saint-Michel in northern France and will finish at the Champs-Elysées in Paris on July 24th.
 
The race, which has been running nearly continuously since 1903, draws up to 12 million spectators along the route.
 
“It doesn't just belong to the French. It is… distributed in 190 countries, covered by 2,000 journalists and watched by 3.5 billion TV viewers,” Cazeneuve said.

SPORT

Inaugural Women’s Tour de France to start at Eiffel Tower

The route for the inaugural women's Tour de France was unveiled on Thursday with eight stages, embarking from the Eiffel Tower on July 24th next year.

Published: 14 October 2021 16:04 CEST
French cyclist Marion Rousse delivers a speech next to Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme during the presentation of the first edition of the Women's Tour de France cycling race.
French cyclist Marion Rousse delivers a speech next to Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme during the presentation of the first edition of the Women's Tour de France cycling race. Photo: Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP.

The first complete edition of the women’s version of cycling’s iconic race starts on the day the 109th edition of the men’s Tour ends.

After a route that winds through northern France, the race culminates in the Planche des Belles Filles climb in the Vosges mountains.

Danish cyclist Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig said she was over the moon to be taking part.

“I want it to be July now so we can get stared,” she said actually jumping up and down.

“The Tour de France is a reference and when you say you are a cyclist people ask about that. Now I can say I race the Tour de France,” she said after the presentation.

MAP: Details of 2022 Tour de France (and Denmark) revealed

Race director Marion Rousse, a former French cycling champion and now a TV commentator, told AFP it would be a varied course that would maintain suspense over the eight days.

“It is coherent in a sporting sense, and we wanted to start from Paris,” she said of the 1,029km run.

“With only eight stages we couldn’t go down to the Alps or the Pyrenees, the transfers would be too long.

“The stages obviously are shorter for the women than for the men’s races. The men can go 225 kilometres. For the women the longest race on our roster is 175km and we even needed special dispensation for that,” she said. “But it’s a course I love.”

Christian Prudhomme, the president of the Tour de France organisers, was equally enthusiastic.

“The fact it sets off from Paris the day the men’s race ends gives the new race a boost because it sets the media up to follow it more easily.

“It also means that with the Tour de France starting on July 1st and the women’s race ending on the 31st, there will be cycling on television every day of July.”

The men’s race is broadcast in around 190 countries.

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