No coronavirus positives after second rest day of Tour de France 2020
The race looks like it will run to Paris after 700 tests returned negative
The Tour de France 2020 has had no coronavirus positive tests after the second rest day, with the race now likely to make it to Paris.
A total of 785 tests were carried out on Sunday and Monday (September 13 and 14) as the entire “race bubble” was examined for Covid-19.
The UCI and Tour organiser ASO announced on Tuesday morning that there were no positive tests.
A statement from the organisers said: “After having been tested within the six days preceding the Grand Départ in Nice as well as upon their arrival on the Tour as a part of the “race bubble”, riders and staff involved in the race were tested a third time during the first rest day over September 6 and 7.
“The screening campaign which has taken place over the past 48 hours is therefore the fourth since the beginning of the event. Its objective is to guarantee the health of the race for the riders and accredited personnel in the face of the novel coronavirus.
“Overall, each of the 785 tests carried out returned negative results.”
During the first rest day, the race bubble was tested with five people at the 2020 Tour returning positive results for coronavirus.
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There were four staff members, all from different teams, who did test positive as well as one “technical service provider”.
The staff members were from Ineos Grenadiers, Mitchelton-Scott, Cofidis and AG2R La Mondiale.
Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France, also tested positive for coronavirus and had to leave the race.
Prudhomme is not part of the ‘race bubble', which consists of the 650 riders and team staff, but still opted to undergoing Covid-19 test during the Tour’s first rest day.
>>> Tour de France 2020: Seven things to look out for during the third week
After quarantining for seven days, Prudhomme has now tested negative and will return to the race for stage 16.
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
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