The organizers of the Tour de France and cycling lovers no doubt breathed a huge sigh of relief this Monday morning. While the rest of the race had seemed threatened by the abandonment of three participants (including the Frenchman Guillaume Martin, eighth in the last edition) due to contamination with Covid-19, in recent days, the International Cycling Union ( UCI) indicates that all the riders still in the running are negative for the coronavirus. A battery of examinations had been carried out the evening before, before the runners observed a day of rest in Morzine, in Haute-Savoie.
The new epidemic wave, which particularly affects France, has already caused departures in the management of several teams, both in staff and in group management. The Quick-Step team alone has had to call on three new sports directors since the start of the Tour de France. Before the start in Copenhagen, half a dozen riders were replaced within their respective formations.
Following the cascade of abandonments recorded at the Tour de Suisse in mid-June, the anti-Covid protocol for the Tour de France has been updated. The tests were compulsory before the start and during the two rest days of the event, for the riders as well as the team personnel. Next deadline, therefore: July 18, when the peloton will stop for a day in Carcassonne, in the Aude.