While an upsurge in Covid-19 cases raised fears of the worst before the start of the Tour de France scheduled for Friday in Denmark, the International Cycling Union has updated its health protocol.
And, surprise, it provides for a clear relaxation of the regulations.
A runner who presents a positive test will not, unlike the previous two years, not be forced to forfeit if he is deemed asymptomatic.
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In this case, "
the decision on possible isolation will be taken collectively by the doctor of the team concerned, the covid-19 doctor of the event and the Medical Director of the UCI
", indicated the press release.
of the International Federation.
This is a real revolution in the peloton since for the past two years, a team with two riders positive for Covid-19 within seven days was automatically disqualified.
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“
Not necessarily excluding Covid positives?
If they are asymptomatic, it is a common sense measure!
“, commented on Ouest-France Christian Prudhomme, the boss of the Tour de France, subject to the application of the health protocol dictated by the UCI.
Last week, many positive cases were declared among the ranks of participants in the Tour de Suisse.
More than forty runners then left the event, not because they were suffering from symptoms, but as a precautionary measure a few days before the Grande Boucle meeting.
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A real health risk in the peloton?
This large-scale shift in the regulations removes the risks of a cascade of packages on the Grande Boucle but it nevertheless raises the question of the spread of the virus and the dangers that this can cause for the health of certain runners.
An asymptomatic runner authorized to run in the peloton can thus spread the virus which could cause, in certain cases, serious symptoms in other athletes.
