Gravel stage at the Tour de France secured as city of Troyes applies special measures

The French parliament has been dissolved following the European elections which have given way to an overwhelming victory of far-right party RN. Two rounds of elections will soon take place and one of them on the 7th of July, the day the Tour de France will tackle the famous 'gravel stage'. This has now been secured, despite recent worries.

"Following the decision of the President of the Republic to dissolve the National Assembly, legislative elections will be organized throughout the country with a second round scheduled for Sunday, July 7. François Baroin, Mayor of Troyes, President of Troyes Champagne Métropole and President of the Mayors of Aube, and Christian Prudhomme, Director of the Tour de France, would like to reassure all stakeholders and spectators: the Tour de France will indeed pass through Troyes and the Aube on Sunday, July 7," read the statement.

"And everything will be done to ensure the success of this stage, which is an opportunity for the territory and the 34 Aube municipalities crossed, as well as the smooth running of the electoral vote."

This became a cause for concern because hosting a Tour de France stage, and specially one with as many tight and chaotic points such as a day with a lot of off-road racing, requires an extensive amount of police and security resources to ensure everyone's safety. This will now also be required to ensure the safety and efficient logistics of voting poles all across the city and towns.

"As during the 2021 Tour de France (when a similar situation took place, ed.), A.S.O. has agreed to adapt the system that will be deployed in the 34 Aube municipalities concerned by the 9th stage of the 2024 edition." A set of small changes will be implemented to try and maintain the efficacy of the whole process for both events, and worries of the stage being cancelled or changed now fade.

"At the level of the City of Troyes, in agreement with the Prefecture of Aube, the city's polling stations will exceptionally remain open until 8:00 p.m. in order to allow extended access for the entire population to these polling stations," the statement concluded.