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EFE · Road Competition · 09/07/2020
The first day of rest of this very particular edition of the Tour de France will have a special focus on Monday: all cyclists will be subjected to a test for the Covid-19 coronavirus.
After nine stages, in which the organizers have insisted on keeping cyclists and their assistants in a bubble, there is curiosity to know if the pandemic has managed to break control.
If during the week the influx of the public was much smaller than on previous occasions, the two Pyrenean days of the weekend left images of more fans on the side of the road, many of them without the demanded mask.
It was particularly surprising to see the number of people on the Saturday climb to Peyresourde, the last port of the day, where many Basque flags and those from other regions of Spain were seen.
On the ascent to Marie Blanque, the last point of this Sunday, there was less public, with the rainiest weather.
“It is always nice to be close to home, but it is true that some did not wear a mask. Let’s see if we can get everyone to wear it, that we respect all the protocols, for the good of all,” said Mikel Nieve from Spain.
The situation also surprised another Spaniard in the squad, Jonhatan Castroviejo, who assured that they had become used to tests without public and what he saw in those ports reminded him of the Tour in July.
“There is danger for us, but the support of the public is also appreciated,” said the Ineos Grenadier rider.
The situation went unnoticed for the Colombian Rigoberto Urn (Education First), who, however, later saw videos in which fans who were without a mask appeared.
“You have to be more careful, I’ve seen videos in which you see a lot of people, you have to be careful. The team and the Tour are taking great care of us, you have to ask the fans to be careful,” he commented.
There have also been some unexpected images in the hotels of the teams, which theoretically should be fortresses to isolate the runners, but which have been broken on numerous occasions.
The Tour has been carrying out fifty daily tests throughout the week, although the results have not been communicated.
Nor is it scheduled to be reported tomorrow, Monday, of the tests to which the whole squad will be subjected.
Information on the PCR tests will arrive on Tuesday morning.
It will be a novelty of the edition, because the teams are all threatened with expulsion in the event that two of their members, riders or components of the technical, medical or mechanical corps, give positive in two tests in the course of a week.
The Association of Professional Cyclists (ACP) asked fans to cheer on the roads in a responsible and respectful way and the Tour organization to reinforce precautionary measures “in low speed zones” to avoid contagion by Covid-19.
“Supporters (…) are welcome to the side of the road to cheer on Tour participants and the many races that have rekindled the passion for bicycles, but only if they wear the mask correctly and respect social distancing “, he indicated.
A message that many of the cyclists also wanted to repeat, who have been undergoing tests for Covid-19 since this morning, a round of tests that will continue this Monday.
Roglic, Major
On the first day of rest of the 2020 Tour de France we arrived with the Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) wearing the leader’s yellow jersey after the passage of the race through the Pyrenees. and with twelve stages yet to be disputed.
Roglic leads the race with 21 seconds ahead of Colombian Egan Bernal (Ineos) and 28 seconds over French Guillaume Martin (Cofidis). Also French Romain Bardet (AG2R-La Mondiale) is fourth at 30 seconds and Colombians Nairo Quintana (Arka-Samsic) and Rigoberto Urn (Education First) are fifth and sixth at 32 seconds behind the yellow jersey.
The competition will resume this Tuesday with the dispute of its tenth stage, of 168.5 kilometers and completely flat profile between Ile dOleron and Ile de R.
Next stage, 10 (Tuesday 8): Ile dOleron – Ile de R / 168.5 Km.
General classification (Top-10) after the ninth stage:
1. Primoz Roglic (SLO / Jumbo-Visma) – 38:40:01
2. Egan Bernal (COL / Ineos) at 0:21
3. Guillaume Martin (FRA / Cofidis) at 0:28
4. Romain Bardet (FRA / AG2R-La Mondiale) at 0:30
5. Nairo Quintana (COL / Arka-Samsic) at 0:32
6. Urna Rigoberto (COL / Education First) at 0:32
7. Tadej Pogacar (SLO / UAE Emirates) at 0:44
8. Adam Yates (GBR / Mitchelton-Scott) at 1:02
9. Miguel ngel Lpez (COL / Astana) at 1:15
10. MIKEL LANDA (ESP / Bahrain-McLaren) at 1:42
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