Tour de France 2020 set to be postponed as public gatherings are scrapped until July

This summer’s Tour de France looks set to be postponed after French President Emmanuel Macron cancelled all public gatherings until mid-July.

Race officials had hoped that cycling’s blue riband event could go ahead on the planned start date of June 27 in Nice, finishing in Paris on July 19.

Tour organisers say it is now impossible for the three-week race to start in June as scheduled.

It is unclear if cycling's biggest event will be scrapped from the race calendar. New plans are likely to be announced before the end of the month following consultations with the governing body of cycling.

The Macron announcement also means that the French Grand Prix is set to be the tenth race of the 2020 Formula One season to be either postponed or cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Questions remain about when the season could start. After France, the next grand prix is Austria, where there has recently been some lifting of restrictions.