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April 14 (UPI) -- Tour de France organizers are seeking new dates for the annual cycling competition after French President Emmanuel Macron canceled all public events with large crowds until mid-July due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Macron made the announcement Monday. The Tour de France only has been canceled for World War I and World War II, with the last cancellation in 1946.
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The 2020 Tour de France was initially scheduled to begin June 27 in Nice and end July 19 in Paris.
Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme told reporters on April 1 that the event would not be held without fans. Prudhomme also said organizers were considering other dates for the event at the time, and organizers set a May 15 deadline to decide if and when the race occur.
Prudhomme had said cyclists need two months after the lockdown to prepare for the event. That two-month window is no longer possible due to Macron's extension on a strict lockdown in France until May 11.
The 2020 Tour de France includes 21 starting and finish lines and a 2,000-mile route throughout France. The roadside course typically draws millions of fans. More than 175 cyclists compete.
Colombia's Egan Bernal won the 2019 Tour de France.
