No coronavirus positives at Vuelta a España after rest day
Good news for the peloton as all 600 Covid tests returned negative
The Vuelta a España has had zero coronavirus positives during the rest day testing.
As the Spanish Grand Tour reached its first day without race on Monday (October 26), the entire race bubble underwent Covid-19 testing, with 648 tests being carried out.
The race organisers and the UCI have announced the none of riders or team staff members tested returned a positive result for the virus.
A joint statement from the governing body and the organisers said: In accordance with La Vuelta 2020’s health protocol, developed in the framework of the Union Cycliste Internationale’s (UCI) rules for the return of the road cycling season in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, the entire 'race bubble' was tested during the first rest day.
“After having been tested preceding the official start in Irun as well as upon their arrival on La Vuelta as a part of the ‘race bubble’, riders and staff involved in the race were tested a third time during the first rest day. The objective of the screening campaign 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 684 tests carried out returned negative results.”
But coronavirus has already had an impact on the racing, as the placed excursion into France on stage six for a Tourmalet summit finish had to be scrapped as French authorities refused to let the race cross the border.
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Spain has also been put into a coronavirus state of emergency, which gives regional governments the ability to implement strict lockdown rules.
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However the race director Javier Guillen believes the state of emergency will not affect the race, which continued as planned with stage seven.
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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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