The presence of a gendarme "brandishing an automatic rifle" on the route used by support vehicles was "just another example of an increased emphasis on security at the Tour de France in the wake of Thursday’s terrorist attack in Nice," according to Tom Cary of the London TELEGRAPH. The tragedy that took place on the French Riviera on Bastille Day, which claimed the lives of 84 people, "has not surprisingly had a profound impact on the atmosphere at the world’s biggest bike race." Friday’s individual time trial "was in danger of being cancelled altogether." It "eventually went ahead" with Tour Dir Christian Prudhomme declaring, “We shouldn’t give in to the pressure of the people who would like us to change our lifestyle.” But there is "a feeling of tension in the air." One thing is certain, whether it is working with France’s police and special forces to safeguard the public and the peloton from terrorist threats such as the one in Nice, or protecting the riders from "sozzled fans," Tour de France organizer Amaury Sport Organisation is "under pressure like never before." The Tour is "uniquely vulnerable -- to terrorists, to protesters, to drunk fans and to idiots." Where stadiums "can be contained and perimeters set up to check bags, the Tour is a rolling event that takes place over thousands of miles of public roads, some extremely remote, day after day." It is watched by 15 million fans live and "countless millions more on live television." It is "almost impossible to secure." The "problem for the ASO remains the same: you can minimise the risk" -- but "you cannot eliminate it altogether" (TELEGRAPH, 7/16).
