THE PECQ, France (AP) – The 4 Tour de France groups that lost members to positive COVID-19 tests this week will not be automatically sent home if any other member tested positive, the race organizer showed Thursday.
Career health standards mean they can be sent home if they have two or more positive tests over a seven-day period.
But the ASO race organizer showed Thursday that the counter will restart when the groups are tested at the time and last day of the Tour break next Monday.
This explanation lifts a weight on Cofidis, AG2R La Mondiale, Ineos Grenadiers and Mitchelton Scott, groups that saw a positive staff member test positive on the first day off.
Because everyone will necessarily start again in the next check circular, a positive singles check on Monday will not cause their exclusion, ASO said.
But any team that registers two or more positives can be sent home. The test battery will be the last before the completion of the Tour on September 20 in Paris.
No positive runner in the first round of rest tests.
The tour’s director, Christian Prudhomme, tested positive and was forced to leave the race so he hoped it would be only a week of self-deissing.
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