The coronavirus has caused chaos across the sporting world with numerous events postponed or cancelled including the Giro d’Italia.
The five-time Tour de France winner is taking the coronavirus crisis seriously, and hopes that the sport continues to do the same.
“Sport is fabulous. The Tour de France is a fantastic party, but life is more important. We’re talking about the risk of death,” Hinault said. “We don’t care, frankly, about cycling in a case like this.”
“A lover of the Tour wants above all to see people in good health. If the Tour needs to be cancelled, let’s not hesitate. We’re up against a bloody illness, it’s much more serious!”
“It’s a war against a virus, that also counts,” Hinault said. “Frankly, we cannot afford to say: ‘We must maintain the Tour at all costs.’ It’s not up to me to decide and there is still time, but we have to ask ourselves if it is reasonable to let people line the roads if there are still risks. The Tour is tens of thousands of spectators every day.”
“Early June would be the maximum,” he said. “The Tour is a huge machine: police and hotels are needed. Frankly, you should not hesitate.”
“Before, you pedalled like an idiot listening to music. Now, there is technology that tells you your power and even gives you images of the col you’re supposedly climbing,” he said.
