Coronavirus: Chris Froome doubts if Tour de France can prevent large gatherings

Chris Froome is aiming to win a record-equalling fifth Tour de France title when the race gets underway in August. PA

Four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome has expressed doubts over whether organisers for this year's race will be able to prevent large crowds from gathering amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Tour de France was scheduled to start on June 27, but was pushed back to August 29 due to the outbreak. Mass gatherings have been banned in France until September, with the country recording more than 168,000 coronavirus cases and over 24,000 deaths, while so far more than 50,000 people have made full recoveries.

"Would the organisers be able to keep people from coming and gathering in large crowds? In theory we can put on the race and it can be broadcast on television," Froome said in an Instagram chat with former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen.

"You're not going to get the same scenes as you would get going through these tunnels of just people everywhere and all the rest of it. Maybe that's the version of the race we need to see this year. I don't know."

Froome, who won the Tour in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and is one victory away from equalling the record held by Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain, is using the delay to make up the training time he lost after a crash last year.

The 34-year-old rider spent over three weeks in hospital after breaking his neck, femur, elbow, hip and ribs in a high-speed crash while training for the Criterium du Dauphine in June.

"Some days I'm doing up to six hours sitting on the stationary trainer - big days," Froome said.

"A lot of the training I've been doing has been indoors so it's almost prepared me for this whole lockdown period, and mentally I'm able to get through it a bit easier."

Froome made his comeback at the UAE Tour in February, although the race was cancelled with two stages remaining after two riders in the peloton tested positive for Covid-19.

With the exception of the shortened Paris-Nice race and the one-day Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in Belgium, the UAE Tour proved the final World Tour race before professional cycling went into lockdown.