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Primoz Roglic: Before and after the stages it is mandatory to wear a mask
Photo: CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
Waiting for the tests:
There was great tension before the stage.
Riders, officials and cycling fans waited for the results of the corona tests on the rest day.
Journalists posted water level reports on Twitter, stating which team bus had already arrived at the starting point and which teams were still missing.
About an hour before the start of the race, the tour organizers gave the all-clear: All 166 drivers had tested negative.
There were four positive tests from supervisors, but from different teams.
The four men had to leave.
If there were two positive tests within a team, the respective team would have been excluded.
So the tour could go on as planned - at least for the time being.
Prudhomme positive: But there was
one change in the protocol - François Lemarchand waved the flag at the start of the stage.
Because tour boss Christian Prudhomme had tested positive for the corona virus.
"I will leave the tour for eight days," said Prudhomme of the AFP news agency: "I will act like any French employee in such a case."
He had no contact with the drivers and was not part of the teams' bubble.
However, he had contact with French Prime Minister Jean Castex, who announced that he would be tested.
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Christian Prudhomme went into quarantine
Photo:
DAVID STOCKMAN / imago images / Belga
The stage result:
After 168.5 flat kilometers to the Île de Ré, Sam Bennett sprinted to victory ahead of Caleb Ewan and Peter Sagan.
The German sprinter André Greipel took a good sixth place.
The yellow jersey continues to be worn by Primoz Roglic from the Jumbo-Visma team.
Read the report on the tenth stage here.
Tears for green:
In the interview with the winner, Bennett tears of joy rolled down his mask, the Irishman was so happy about his first stage win.
"I'm in a state of shock and totally overwhelmed," said Bennett: "Sorry, I really don't want to be a crybaby now. But this has always been my goal."
With the day's success, the 29-year-old has now won stages in all three major tours.
He has already won three at the Giro and twice at the Vuelta.
On the Île de Ré, the Irishman also took over the green jersey that Peter Sagan had previously worn.
Bennett could even defend the dress of the driver with the best points as far as Paris.
Test on the edge of the wind:
After the start, the stage began as usual with attempts to pull out.
The Swiss Michael Schär and Stefan Küng went on the run.
But they didn't get more than two minutes ahead.
The peloton caught the duo again early.
Then the top teams tried to pull the field apart in cross winds.
This was particularly successful in the last few kilometers, with Emanuel Buchmann falling five minutes behind.
Strategy changed: The
fact that Buchmann no longer did everything in his power to stay with the group for the yellow jersey is an aftereffect of the Pyrenees.
There the German captain from Bora-hansgrohe lost a few minutes to the top drivers.
"The overall ranking is no longer a goal at all," he said on the rest day on Monday.
The reason is an injury that he sustained shortly before the tour.
"I hope that I can regenerate," said Buchmann: "The plan now is to go for a stage win."
Scraped up:
The field of drivers looked nervous on the flat stage.
The professionals fought for the best positions in order not to have to let go in the wind.
At the high speed there were frequent falls.
New Zealander Sam Bewley from Mitchelton-Scott had to drop out due to injuries.
The German driver Nils Politt was also briefly on the ground, but was able to get back on the bike.
The Latvian master Tom Skujins suffered abrasions in a fall, had himself treated at the tour doctor's car and drove to the finish line with a torn jersey.
He will struggle to find a comfortable sleeping position in the coming days.
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ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT / AFP
It's not over yet:
On Tuesday, the tour could be reassured that there weren't any more positive corona cases.
"It is very important for us to see that the bubble holds - 90 percent of it goes to Paris," said Politt.
On the next day of rest on Monday, however, tests are due again, and the team members in the bladder will also continue to be examined for corona symptoms.
Next weekend, it's back to the mountains.
Up until now, the biggest crowds had cheered the drivers on there.
The number of new infections every day in France peaked on Friday with 8975 cases.
President Emmanuel Macron called on citizens to be "more vigilant": "There are often contagions at private parties and family meetings."
According to him, the government will examine new protective measures on Friday.
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With material from AFP, dpa and sid