5 days before the big start from Bilbao (this Saturday), the boss of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme, spoke about the 2023 edition in an interview with AFP.
What do you expect from the departure from the Basque Country?
We will have everything that makes the Tour de France: an extraordinary sports ground for champions. The beauty of the decor. References to geography, history and culture since we will notably pass Guernica twice. And the enthusiasm of the public. I remember the orange tides of Euskaltel-Euskadi in the passes of the Pyrenees. They are waiting for us! The fervor is going to be tremendous. And this fervor is also clearly essential, one year after the departure of Denmark which marked the spirits.
Are these popular successes a way of responding to criticism of the Tour’s recurring departures from abroad?
“These departures from abroad, I claim them. But on the condition that there are Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne, Poligny or Moirans-en-Montagne on the route, that is to say small villages. For me, that’s the Tour de France, very large French and foreign cities, medium-sized towns and villages. This is what I say each time to the elected representatives of the foreign communities that welcome us: you must show more, you must prove to the French public why we were right to leave abroad.
Why is this so important?
“Because the Tour de France allows people to raise their heads. I’m not going to say it’s going to change their lives. But when people notice that we still pay attention to them, when they hear the name of their village on the radio, it’s something that makes them proud. And pride is very important for the cohesion of a country.
Why such a difficult start?
“Because we want to have the favorites of the Tour shoulder to shoulder from the first weekend. There we are sure to have them. The slopes of Vivero, Pike, Jaizkibel will allow the best punchers of the Van der Poel style but also Pogacar and Vingegaard to measure themselves from the start. There will be no observation round. We have worked a lot in recent years on the courses, especially in the first week. But it also depends a lot on the champions. And we are lucky to have an exceptional generation.”
Many summarize the 2023 Tour as a duel between Vingegaard and Pogacar. You too?
“In any case, it’s the return match. And maybe revenge. What is certain is that it exhilarates. In tennis, the Federer-Nadal, the Nadal-Djokovic, it’s something that attracts, that makes you love. A duel, there is nothing more beautiful. It’s Anquetil-Poulidor. It’s Hinault-Lemond.”
Thibaut Pinot and Julian Alaphilippe, the two darlings of the French public, are at the start. The organizer is happy?
“It is obvious. We sometimes forget the prize lists. But we do not forget the emotions. Julian and Thibaut are runners who transmit emotions. Julian is a key figure in the Tour de France. And it was not possible that Thibaut did not do the Tour for his last year. We sometimes exchange a few messages. I had no doubts about his desire to be at the start.
Interview by Jacques KLOPP
