As a surge in Covid-19 cases raised fears of the worst ahead of Friday’s start of the Tour de France in Denmark, the International Cycling Union has updated its health protocol. And, surprise, it provides for a clear relaxation of regulations. A runner who tests positive, unlike the previous two years, will not be forced to withdraw if he is deemed asymptomatic.
In this case, “the final isolation decision will be taken collectively by the relevant team doctor, the event’s Covid-19 doctor and the UCI Medical Director.– said in the statement of the International Federation. This is a real revolution in the peloton, because in the last two years a team with two riders who tested positive for Covid-19 within seven days was automatically disqualified.
“Doesn’t it have to rule out Covid positive? If they are asymptomatic, it is a common sense measure.“, commented Ouest-France Christian Prudhomme, head of the Tour de France, which is subject to the application of the health protocol dictated by the UCI. Last week, many positive cases were announced among the participants of the Tour de Suisse. More than forty runners then withdrew from the event, not because they were suffering from symptoms, but as a precaution in the days leading up to the Grand Boucle meet.
A real health hazard in the peloton.
This sweeping regulation change eliminates the risks of a cascade of packets in the Grande Boucle, but it still raises the issue of the spread of the virus and the risks it could pose to the health of some runners. An asymptomatic runner who is cleared to run in the peloton can thus spread the virus, which can in some cases cause serious symptoms in other athletes.
Source: Le Figaro
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