Axel May, edited by Yanis Darras 11:35 a.m., July 11, 2022

On the Tour de France, the spread of Covid-19 worries the organizers.

Three cyclists withdrew this weekend following their contamination.

To combat the virus, runners are now tested regularly.

“We must be extra vigilant,” warns Cédric Vasseur, the manager of the Cofidis team.

And three!

After the Norwegian Vegard Stake Laengen (UAE) and the French Geoffrey Bouchard (AG2R Citroën), Saturday, it is the turn of Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) to be forced to abandon the Tour de France.

The cyclist, who tested positive for Covid-19 this Sunday, has no choice but to leave the competition. 

Faced with these numerous cases, the organizers of the Tour de France want to limit the spread of the coronavirus within the teams as much as possible and are testing massively.

Thus, after Sunday's stage, the riders all carried out an antigen test before starting their day of rest.

This Monday, the International Cycling Union (UCI) announced that no case had been detected through the tests carried out yesterday.

"Everyone is afraid of it"

Despite everything, the cyclists were also tested this Monday morning by the team management.

And if the antigen test is positive, a PCR test is then carried out.

"Frankly, we would be really saddened to go home," says Maxime Bouet, one of the veterans of the peloton. 

"Everyone is afraid of it, even the staff. Because the Tour de France is still the national holiday for a Frenchman and having to leave it for a positive test when you have no symptoms. , it's a shame," he added.

A reference to his opponent Guillaume Martin who only had a slight sore throat during his Covid-19 screening and who still had to forfeit.

In the Cofidis team, Cédric Vasseur, the manager of the northern training, wonders about the level of protection of the peloton. 

Not enough protection

"We have to be extra vigilant. We see that other teams are affected. And on the organizational side, we may have to take slightly stricter measures to protect the riders. Because the lap is still long, there are two weeks left," he explains. 

A message that will probably be heard by the organizers.

Currently, the protection of riders against the virus is limited to wearing a mask for the press and for officials who are in direct contact with the teams.