The boss of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme, said on Friday that he was “in constant contact with state services” about the violence that has affected many cities in France for three days. “We are in constant contact with the state services, as every year, and we are monitoring the situation with great attention,” he said on the eve of the start of the Grande Boucle in Bilbao.
After two first stages in the Spanish Basque Country, the Tour de France must return to French territory on Monday, with a scheduled arrival in Bayonne. Some 28,000 gendarmes, police officers and firefighters are mobilized again this year to guarantee safety on the Tour de France.
Asked whether the riots in France could jeopardize this system, Mr. Prudhomme said: “We are following developments carefully. The situation today is not that of yesterday and will not necessarily be that of tomorrow.
