Cycling: 'Maximum' security for Tour de France Elite special forces have been assigned to protect the Tour de France from a potential terror threat during July. Just seven months on from the Paris terror attacks that left 130 people dead, authorities are taking no chances during the nation's biggest yearly sporting extravaganza. Nathalie Frêche, chief of the National Police Tour de France mission, talks to AFP about the scope of the security operation. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES