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<\/a><\/p>\nThere are, at this hour, perhaps forty people awake and online who know what MACGA means. The rest of the world is asleep. The forty people begin texting each other.<\/p>\n
12:33 AM EDT\u202f\/\u202f06:33 CEST<\/p>\n
Dag Otto Lauritzen, reached by a Norwegian journalist whose name we are withholding because it is 6:38 in the morning in Bergen and he had not consented to being the subject of a news story, will later say he has \u201cno comment at this time\u201d and then add, after a pause, \u201cWhat is happening?\u201d<\/p>\n BREAKING NEWS \u2014 12:51 AM EDT\u202f\/\u202f06:51 CEST \u2014 Tour de Trump<\/p>\n The forty people become four hundred. Screenshots circulate. The phrase \u201csigned papers\u201d generates immediate and intense speculation about what, precisely, has been signed, and what authority it might carry over a private French sporting organization whose legal domicile is in Paris and which has been staging professional bicycle races without American governmental input since 1903.<\/p>\n [EDITOR\u2019S NOTE: We have begun attempting to reach the White House press office, but it is 12:44 AM in Washington.]<\/p>\n 1:14 AM EDT\u202f\/ 07:14 CEST<\/p>\n The mention of Campagnolo causes a particular kind of distress among road cyclists that is difficult to explain to non-cyclists and only somewhat easier to explain to cyclists who do not understand what Campagnolo means to people who do. Several European component industry figures will later say this was the moment they understood the situation was serious.<\/p>\n 1:38 AM EDT\u202f\/ 07:38 CEST<\/p>\n A White House official, who asked not to be identified because they value their continued employment, confirms by text message that an executive order has been signed. They will not describe its contents. They will not say when it was signed. They add, unprompted: \u201cI am going back to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n 2:03 AM EDT\u202f\/ 8:03 CEST<\/p>\n Mont Ventoux rises 1,617 meters over 21.5 kilometers of exposed Proven\u00e7al limestone. It has ended careers. It has ended a life. Tom Simpson died on its upper slopes in 1967. The Bedminster hill rises approximately sixty meters over roughly eight hundred meters of New Jersey road. We are not making a comparison. We are simply reporting what was posted.<\/p>\n 2:27 AM EDT\u202f\/ 08:27 CEST<\/p>\n Armstrong\u2019s publicist in Austin does not respond to a request for comment sent at 4:11 AM EDT (3:11 AM MDT). This is, to be fair, a completely reasonable position to take at 3:11 in the morning local time.<\/p>\n 6:09 AM EDT\u202f\/\u202f12:09 CEST \u2014 Europe wakes up<\/p>\n It is ten minutes past noon in Aigle, Switzerland, and the UCI\u2019s communications office has arrived, had coffee, noticed forty-seven press inquiries, a Truth Social post describing their organization as \u201cvery sneaky,\u201d and a threat \u2014 now confirmed by a second White House source \u2014 of retaliatory tariffs on Swiss chocolate. They issue a brief statement that says they are \u201caware of the announcement\u201d and are \u201cconsulting with member federations.\u201d In UCI terms, this is the institutional equivalent of closing the curtains and sitting very still until the noise stops.<\/p>\n 6:51 AM EDT\u202f\/\u202f12:51 CEST<\/p>\n In Paris, it is approaching noon. Christian Prudhomme, the director of the Tour de France, holds a brief, unscheduled press conference at the ASO offices. He is wearing a very good suit. He looks like a man who has spent the last two hours being extremely diplomatic in a language other than the one he would prefer to use.<\/p>\n \u201cWe note with interest the American President\u2019s announcement,\u201d he says. \u201cThe Tour de France has operated continuously since 1903 and is one of the great sporting institutions of the world. We would be happy to share our experience in race organization with any interested parties.\u201d<\/p>\n He is asked whether ASO considers the Tour de Trump a competitive threat.<\/p>\n He smiles the particular way the French smile when they are choosing, with considerable effort, not to say what they actually think.<\/p>\n \u201cWe consider all sporting events worthy of respect,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n He is asked about the tariff threat on French wine, cheese, and berets.<\/p>\n The press conference ends.<\/p>\n 7:31 AM EDT\u202f\/\u202f13:31 CEST \u2014 The Executive Order<\/p>\n The White House releases the text of the executive order. It is eight pages long. It is formally titled \u201cRestoring American Excellence in the Sport of Cycling and Reviving the Tour de Trump as the World\u2019s Premier Stage Race.\u201d It cites Article Two twice. It contains a section \u2014 Section Seven \u2014 that is two sentences long and addresses, exclusively, the difficulty of the Bedminster climb.<\/p>\n Section Seven reads: \u201cThe Bedminster climb is very challenging. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n Section Nine imposes a two-hundred-percent tariff on Campagnolo components. Section Nine, subsection (c) notes that the Secretary of Commerce has requested procedural clarification on the Campagnolo tariff. The request has been received. The Secretary has been asked to proceed.<\/p>\n The full text of the executive order<\/a> is published separately.<\/p>\n 8:08 AM EDT\u202f\/ 14:08 CEST<\/p>\n A directeur sportif for a Belgian WorldTour squad, who asked not to be named because he genuinely could not afford the attention this morning, calls us from what sounds like a car. He has been reading the executive order.<\/p>\n \u201cNo drafting,\u201d he says. \u201cThirty seconds. For three weeks. Has he ever \u2014 I mean, has he ever actually watched a bike race?\u201d<\/p>\n He is told the President has watched multiple stages on YouTube.<\/p>\n There is a silence.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Campagnolo tariff is the most offensive part,\u201d he says finally. \u201cTwo hundred percent. Do you understand what Campagnolo means to cycling? It is not a component. It is a philosophy. Granted, none of us use it at the WorldTour level anymore, but still!\u201d<\/p>\n 8:47 AM EDT\u202f\/ 14:47 CEST<\/p>\n We have asked several cyclists. They have, unanimously, not commented.<\/p>\n 9:22 AM EDT\u202f\/ 15:22 CEST \u2014 Armstrong\u2019s phone call<\/p>\n A source familiar with the situation confirms that Lance Armstrong received a phone call from the President at approximately 1:04 AM CDT \/ 8:04 AM CEST, which is to say, in the middle of what any reasonable person would describe as the night.<\/p>\n The call lasted twenty-two minutes. The source describes it as \u201cnot a conversation in the traditional sense.\u201d The President spoke at length about the Tour de Trump, the mountain stages of the Tour de France (\u201ctremendous, very exciting, like a rally but with bicycles\u201d), the anti-drafting provision (\u201cyou go to the front, you race, you don\u2019t hide behind people, very simple\u201d), and the prize money, which he described as \u201ctremendous\u201d but declined to quantify.<\/p>\n Armstrong asked about the prize money three times. Each time, the President confirmed it would be tremendous and moved on.<\/p>\n Armstrong\u2019s role as Special Advisor on Cycling Affairs appears in Section Ten of the executive order. Section Ten notes, in subsection (b), that Mr. Armstrong \u201chas agreed to this appointment\u201d and then, in the same sentence, acknowledges that \u201che has not explicitly confirmed this, but the President is confident he will.\u201d<\/p>\n Armstrong has still not commented publicly. His publicist says he is \u201creviewing the opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n His phone, we are told, has not stopped ringing.<\/p>\n 9:55 AM EDT\u202f\/ 15:55 CEST<\/p>\n The Office of American Cycling Excellence, established by Section Eleven of the executive order, does not yet have a director, staff, offices, a website, or a phone number. Section Eleven describes its budget as \u201cto be determined\u201d and adds, in the following sentence, \u201cIt will not be a lot. We are cutting spending.\u201d<\/p>\n The OACE is, at this point, a name and a mandate. The mandate is, in full, to organize the Tour de Trump, enforce the executive order, negotiate with the UCI and ASO, manage the golden jersey supply chain, and \u201cgenerally promote American cycling excellence at home and abroad.\u201d The budget for this mandate is to be determined but will not be a lot.<\/p>\n 10:28 AM EDT\u202f\/ 16:28 CEST<\/p>\n The Campagnolo company issues a statement from Vicenza. It notes, with dignity, that the company has been producing precision cycling components since 1933. It expresses confidence in its products. It says it looks forward to \u201ccontinuing dialogue with all interested parties.\u201d It is accompanied by a product photograph of a Super Record groupset. At current retail, the groupset runs to roughly \u20ac4.800 ($5,560 US). Under the proposed tariff: approximately \u20ac14.400 ($16,700 US).<\/p>\n Several American retailers who stock high-end Italian components have begun calling their buying offices. None of them wish to be quoted. One of them says, off the record, \u201cI have $200,000 in Campagnolo inventory.\u201d He does not say this in an unhappy way. He says it in the way a man says something when he is trying very hard not to smile in front of a journalist. Then he adds: \u201cMy summer reorder is already placed.\u201d He says that part very differently.<\/p>\n 11:02 AM EDT\u202f\/ 17:02 CEST \u2014 The press briefing<\/p>\n The daily White House press briefing. Maren Forsythe of CyclingPost \u2014 credentialed, though until this week her credential had never been especially competitive to obtain \u2014 is, for the first time in her publication\u2019s history, in the first row.<\/p>\n Forsythe asks about the anti-drafting provision \u2014 specifically whether any professional cycling body has been consulted on its enforceability.<\/p>\n \u201cI think what\u2019s interesting,\u201d press secretary Karoline Leavitt says, \u201cis that the mainstream media and their allies in the so-called professional cycling establishment are already trying to undermine a pro-competition measure that the American people overwhelmingly support. The anti-drafting provision levels the playing field. It rewards individual effort. That\u2019s a very American idea, and I\u2019m not surprised that certain outlets find it threatening.\u201d<\/p>\n Forsythe notes that the question was about enforceability, not ideology.<\/p>\n \u201cThe OACE will release technical enforcement details in due course,\u201d Leavitt says. \u201cNext question.\u201d<\/p>\n Forsythe asks about the Bedminster climb.<\/p>\n \u201cThe President has visited that property hundreds of times,\u201d Leavitt says. \u201cHe has personal and direct knowledge of that climb. He considers it a world-class competitive ascent and I think the American people trust the President\u2019s judgment on that.\u201d<\/p>\n Forsythe asks how it compares, in terms of elevation and gradient, to the climbs of the existing Grand Tours \u2014 the Stelvio, the Galibier, the Angliru.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to get into a comparison of mountains with a reporter who I think we all know has a predetermined narrative here,\u201d Leavitt says. \u201cThe President certified the climb personally. That certification stands. The stage information will be released by the OACE.\u201d<\/p>\n Forsythe asks when the OACE will have staff.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a process question and I\u2019d refer you to the Office of Management and Budget,\u201d Leavitt says.<\/p>\n Forsythe asks what the gradient of the Bedminster climb actually is.<\/p>\n Leavitt looks at Forsythe for a moment.<\/p>\n \u201cThe OACE,\u201d she says, \u201cwill be releasing detailed stage information in due course.\u201d<\/p>\n Forsythe sits down. Several colleagues in the briefing room are studying their shoes.<\/p>\n 11:22 AM EDT\u202f\/ 17:22 CEST<\/p>\n The UCI has not confirmed this call took place. A spokesperson says they are \u201cin ongoing consultations with member federations.\u201d This is exactly what they said at eleven this morning. It is likely what they will say tomorrow.<\/p>\n 11:37 AM EDT\u202f\/ 17:37 CEST<\/p>\n The Palm Beach County Commissioner\u2019s office confirms it has not been consulted about Stage One\u2019s road closures, which would require shutting approximately forty miles of public road for a full day. A spokesperson says the county is \u201creviewing the matter.\u201d This is everyone\u2019s favorite phrase today.<\/p>\n The Trump National Doral golf club has not responded to questions about Stage Two\u2019s proposed finish on its grounds.<\/p>\n Bedminster is, by all accounts, still sixty meters tall.<\/p>\n Images of the jersey design have been posted in the press room.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/truth_02.png\")
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<\/a>Tour de Trump Golden Jersey (front)<\/p>\n
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<\/a>Tour de Trump Golden Jersey (back)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/truth_09.png\")
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