It's one of the emblematic scenes of the French summer: spectators lining the roadside as the peloton zooms past on flat ground, or labours uphill on mountain stages, toned muscles pumping.
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But this year's Tour de France starts in Nice on Saturday, two months later than planned and amid unprecedented health measures due to the COVID-19 epidemic.
France was one of the European countries worst hit by the coronavirus, with more than 30,000 deaths, mostly between March and mid-May.
Tour organisers clung as long as possible to their planned start date of June 27, but in April, weeks into France's strict 55-day lockdown, they bowed to the inevitable and postponed it to August.
The French lockdown, and similar measures in many other countries, have also had their impact on the cyclists.
Many were forced to spend the spring and early summer training indoors instead of getting out on the roads as they would usually do at that time of year.
And the build-up to the Tour has been marred by a series of bad accidents at the traditional warm-up race of the Criterium du Dauphine as well as other events.
Slovenian Primoz Roglic, highly fancied for the Tour, suffered injuries in a crash while leading on the second-last day of the Criterium and had to drop out.
German hopeful Emmanuel Buchmann, who lost out on key training time after also crashing badly in the Criterium, has played down his hopes too.
"There is a lot possible but it must all fit together, especially in the preparation," the 27-year-old told dpa earlier this week. "Unfortunately that didn't happen for us."
Meanwhile, British four-time winner Chris Froome, who has struggled to find his form since cycling resumed, has been dropped from the race by his Ineos Grenadiers team, who say he will instead focus on the Spanish Vuelta.
Ineos Grenadiers will instead focus their efforts around defending champion Egan Bernal of Colombia with Geraint Thomas, winner in 2018, left out to chase the Giro d'Italia.
Once the Tour gets started, strict health rules will be applied to prevent any outbreak of the virus among the racers.
Any team that has two members tested positive for the coronavirus within a seven-day period will be excluded from the race, according to organisers.
The rule applies not just to racing cyclists, but to a 30-strong "bubble" for each team including support staff.
Spectators meanwhile can expect to be rigorously held to increasingly strict hygiene rules being implemented around France, which has recorded a new uptick in coronavirus infections in recent weeks.
Masks have already been obligatory in all public places in Nice since last week.
With police around the country fining 700 people daily for failing to comply with masking rules, there is no reason to expect that cycling enthusiasts lining the roads for the copiously televised event will get any special treatment.
Spectators are urged to keep two metres away from the cyclists, ask for zero autographs, bring two essentials - a mask and sanitising gel - and take zero selfies.
If everybody sticks to the rules, organisers will hope to make it to the traditional sprint finish on the Champs Elysees on September 20 without health concerns causing any further disruption.
Australian Associated Press
