Enlarge image
This year's tour starts in Copenhagen
Photo: Nico Vereecken / Panoramic International / IMAGO
Despite numerous positive cases in recent weeks, the world cycling association UCI relaxed the corona rules shortly before the start of the 109th Tour de France.
Before the start and on two rest days, all drivers and team members now only have to have rapid antigen tests instead of PCR tests.
In addition, the rule that a team is taken out of the race as soon as two drivers test positive no longer applies.
This was announced by the UCI on Tuesday.
According to information from the dpa news agency, some of the teams had already been informed last weekend.
The tour starts in Copenhagen on Friday.
A positive rapid test must be confirmed by a PCR, but does not necessarily mean – this is also new – that the tour is over.
In exceptional cases, the head doctor of the UCI and the Covid doctor of the tour operator ASO can decide that a driver can continue driving.
For this it must be ensured that the infected person is not contagious and can transmit the corona virus.
Numerous infections at the Tour de Suisse
In addition to the mandatory tests before and during the tour, the UCI issued urgent recommendations.
These include that all drivers and team members should undergo a quick test every day if possible.
On Tuesday, Belgian Tim Declerq was the first nominated driver who had to do without a start because of a positive corona test.
Already at the Tour de Suisse in mid-June, a corona wave had significantly thinned out the field of participants in the 85th Tour of Switzerland.
More than 40 drivers had to end the race prematurely.
Numerous drivers have recently tested positive, including three-time world champion Peter Sagan and Maximilian Schachmann.
Schachmann had apparently recovered quickly, only on Monday did the German cycling team Bora-hansgrohe announce that he would start on the tour.
ngo/dpa