Tour De France in coronavirus shadow, may get cancelled

The International Cycling Union on Saturday proposed that  Tour De France will be cancelled if at least two members, including staff test postive for the coronavirus.

According to the details, Teams will be expelled from the Tour de France if at least two members, including staff, test positive for the coronavirus, Christian Prudhomme said Saturday.

The International Cycling Union on Friday had proposed that such an exclusion from the race would apply only to the riders.

“We will stay with two cases out of 30 people from the same team over a period of seven days,” Prudhomme said, adding that the decision was taken by a French government unit overseeing the coronavirus crisis.

In a worrying appetiser, Belgian team Lotto have already sent home four of its staff after one positive test and one “suspicious” result.

Throughout the Tour, a virus testing cell will travel with the teams.

The pandemic means a very different looking Tour this year for riders and fans.

Current French government law limits public gatherings to 5,000.

That means a cataclysmic change for organisers, with some climbs in previous years attracting hundreds of thousands of people along the roadsides.