Tour de France safe to go ahead next week despite rise in infections due to 'very exclusive...

[ASFN Admin]

Tour de France organisers have vowed their showpiece is safe to go ahead due to a "very exclusive health bubble" to protect it from a second spike of Covid-19 cases across the country. French government and Tour officials are continuing to resist the prospect of more disruption despite a sharp rise in daily infections over 24 hours to 4,771 on Thursday. Baptiste Ollier, a spokesman for the Tour, insisted the 107th edition of the race will still go ahead as planned on August 29 in Nice due to strict plans that will see complete teams removed if two riders or staffers show serious symptoms. "We will proceed by health bubble with runners and members of cycling teams in a very exclusive health bubble, with no contact with members outside of this bubble," Ollier told Telegraph Sport. "Spectators are encouraged to wear masks and respect the 2-metre social distancing." Team members will be tested four times - twice before the race and then on both rest days, September 7 and 14. According to an 18-page document shared with teams this week, teams can continue if there is a confirmed single case of coronavirus in the peloton. However, "if two persons or more from the same team present strongly suspect symptoms or have tested positive for Covid-19, the team in question will be expelled from the Tour de France,” the document adds. The details, obtained by the cycling website VeloNews, add that, in such conditions, the team's "riders will not be authorised to start the Tour de France (or the next stage) and the team’s personnel will have their accreditation withdrawn”.

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