Tour de France set to be postponed after French government extend ban on mass gatherings

Chris Froome was planning to take part in the Tour de France as he continues his recovery from injuries suffered in a crash last year

The Tour de France is set to be postponed after the French government said no mass gatherings can take place in the country before July 15 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The 107th edition of the Tour was set to begin in Nice on June 27 and conclude in Paris on July 19, but President Emmanuel Macron's announcement means it will not be able to do so.

• Froome close to full recovery after horror crash

Organisers ASO have already ruled out the idea of attempting to stage the race behind closed doors, and have been speaking to local authorities due to host stages about alternative dates.

Cancellation of the race must also be considered a possibility, but would be a last resort given the Tour's importance to cycling's economy - attracting audience numbers far in excess of any other race.

Egan Bernal was set to try to defend the title he won last year

2018 race winner Geraint Thomas is hopeful the Tour can be rearranged for later in the summer. He said: "It's the pinnacle of cycling. It represents the sport and certainly it's the thing that's keeping me going at the minute.

"You've just got that target down the line. It's hard when you don't know when it's going to be to try and stay in that positive frame of mind.

"In my head, I'm just thinking the Tour is definitely going to happen. I don't know when but hopefully it does. It would be great for everyone."

Cycling's WorldTour has been on hiatus since Paris-Nice finished a day early on March 14, with all subsequent races either postponed or cancelled.

The Tour is the next race left on the schedule. World governing body the UCI has said it is working with stakeholders to draw up a new road racing calendar for 2020, giving priority to the Grand Tours and one-day Monuments.

The Giro d'Italia, due to begin in Budapest on May 9, has already been postponed.

Team Ineos' Egan Bernal won last year's Tour and the British team, winners of seven of the past eight editions, were expected to take a squad including three former winners to the start line in Nice.