Marc Madio, manager of Groupama-FDJ, suggested that pro cycling could weather the severe economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and suggested that only a revolution by the riders could change the fragile business model of the sport and disrupt the private ownership and control of major races like the Tour de France He suggested that only a revolution by the riders could change the fragile business model of the sport and disrupt the private ownership and control of major races such as the Tour de France.

The often outspoken Frenchman mostly sides with ASO, the organizers of the Tour de France, and acknowledges their prowess in turning the Grand Boucle into a world-class event. But with several major teams cutting or postponing their payrolls and their very survival in jeopardy, he seems to acknowledge that if the sport had not been dominated by private enterprise, the professionals might have taken a very different path. It seems to be a call for change and a call to the riders.

"If the Tour had been created 100 years ago by a federation instead of by a newspaper, things would have been very different," Madiot philosophizes as president of the Ligue Nationale de Cyclisme (LNC), which governs professional cycling in France, telling the French newspaper L 'Equipe.

"If the big races were not privately owned and we owned these events, we could regulate them and that would be a big game changer. The federation would not be in a difficult position and the league would not just survive. But to get there, to change things, it will take a revolution.

"The players must protest. At the start of the Tour, the riders have to say, 'We are not starting. I did that once on a small issue and it worked. For example, in 1991, it was about helmets. We went on strike and took off the helmets. I'm not saying it was the best decision, but we won. If the riders quit, there is no race."

Despite the calls, Madio admits that major changes in the sport will probably not happen. He knows that the ASO, by virtue of its power and influence over the AIOCC race organizers' association and the UCI's main committee, has a great deal of influence over the governance of professional cycling.

"No, because it is human nature to go quietly back to what we know and what we know we should do.

"For big stories, new worlds, big movements, we will have to wait a year or two. Maybe the periphery will change, but that's it."

Madio admitted that he feels fortunate to have the support of title sponsors Groupama and FDJ. In recent weeks, he has personally tried to promote the various sponsors through social media, while the team has secured government benefits to cover expenses, as all players and staff are employees of the team, rather than self-employed contractors like many other teams The team has been able to secure benefits from the government to cover expenses.

"When I look at the situation of the CCC team, I realize how fortunate we are in France," Madiot said.

"Groupama and FDJ are lucky, and I think Cofidis, the owner of the team, has the same sensitivity. It is not just a business. I tell my guys: Grupama and FDJ support us. It's not just two logos on a jersey. Obviously financial difficulties may have arisen, but we have been able to put ourselves in a situation where we can overcome them."

The two-time Paris-Roubaix winner was pleased to see the new race calendar, even if the three Grand Tours, all major classics, and minor races will take place in just four months, from July to early November. He understands the importance of giving hope.

"I'm not surprised that we succeeded [in creating a new calendar]; in 1998, for other reasons [the Festina doping incident], cycling knew how to change after a defeat. It was far from a cliffhanger, but it was a fresh start. So I expect the same to happen this time."

Madio finds hope that the closure of COVID-19 will gradually come to an end. If many aspects of normal life can resume, perhaps professional racing can resume as well.

"If the sanitary conditions necessary for racing are possible, we should be fine.

"If there is one thing this crisis has revealed, it is that in cycling we are intuitively attached to our sport. If you've ever worn a race number, you're used to fighting. I feel it and I have my own back. There is an instinctive sense of survival in cycling. Being able to design a new race calendar underscores this spirit that is unique to cycling: if you fall, get up and get right back in the peloton.

"The most interesting aspect of the future is how professional cycling will return in 2021. We cannot afford to relax. And professional cycling will have a decisive role for amateur cycling: if we cannot restart the machine and move forward, amateur cycling will sink. For once, it is the professionals who lead the amateurs, and in normal times it is the base that holds up the pyramid.