Tour de France: "It hurts the heart" ... the bitterness of Bryan Coquard, deprived of the Tour because of the Covid

Bryan Coquard is in great shape but he is not racing his 6th Tour de France.

The fault of this cursed Covid which affected him just before the big start of the Tour.

Tested positive in Copenhagen, the French sprinter from the Cofidis team had to return home.

While other riders could suffer the same fate in the middle of the Tour, he says he understands the rules but admits his bitterness.

Riders had to leave the Tour on Saturday.

What do you feel in those moments?

BRYAN COQUARD

.

Me, I was ready to start.

I was negative the Monday before the Tour when I arrived in Denmark.

I thought I was good, and on Tuesday it was no longer the case.

It's a big disappointment, but that's how it is.

How do you see things looking back?

It is always very difficult to live.

I was positive but not sick.

I had no symptoms.

But it was the rule of ASO and the UCI, so here it is… We may be aware, aware of the risks and of what we are exposing ourselves to, it still sucks… It hurts the heart but those are the rules, that's it.

The rules have been relaxed, an asymptomatic runner is no longer necessarily excluded.

Does that leave you with regrets?

I don't necessarily know the new rules, I think you have to be below a certain infection threshold.

I don't know if that was my case and if it would have changed anything.

How did you get infected?

It is believed to be by my 2 year old daughter, who is in nursery.

I had gone through the Tour de Suisse, I came back negative (

).

When I tested positive, given my contagiousness, it was felt that it could not be due to the Tour de Suisse, it was too far.

Do you have any regrets?

We are not going to deprive ourselves of our family life.

We already have little social life, we are not there 200 days a year.

When we get back, we won't help but see his family.

You don't make children so you don't have contact with them.

The Tour is not my first and it will not be the last.

Even if it is a big disappointment.

What is your program now?

I watch the Tour a bit, of course.

I also resumed training.

For the end of the season, everything is not yet set, it is possible that I will do the Vuelta but it is not yet 100% sure.