John Degenkolb: The Tour de France is an event that allows some teams to survive
Apr 05 2020 05:47 am CET
Photo of John Degenkolb (c) Lotto Soudal
Lotto-Soudal's John Degenkolb is the latest member of the cycling community to defend the 2020 Tour de France as the event that is essential for the sport.
Days after the director of the Vuelta a España Javier Guillén also talked about the necessity of the Tour de France for cycling, the German rider mentioned it in a discussion with media of his country. "I would even like to do a five-week Tour if necessary," stated Degenkolb.
"The Tour is an event that allows some teams to survive. From 70 to 80 percent of all sponsorship income can be earned in the Tour de France. I sincerely hope that the Tour can take place."
The former winner of races like Milano-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix got his salary reduced to help Lotto-Soudal in the coronavirus crisis, and he's concerned about the future of cycling -one day after CCC Team announced strong measures to deal with the situation. "If the sponsors are struggling, the light can quickly go out in cycling," Degenkolb explained.
"I'd prefer to ride the Tour with public, but if it's without fans, I'm ready too. We are prepared to make that sacrifice."
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