PCR tests are back

Mask alarm! Corona fear prevails at the Tour

Remco Evenepoel recently only appeared wearing a mask.

(Bild: AFP, twitter, krone.at-mrgrafik)

Shortly before the start of the Tour de France in Florence on Saturday, the coronavirus scare is suddenly back. Time trial world champion Remco Evenepoel is now even wearing a mask again.

Superstar Tadej Pogacar had only just caught it in preparation, although the course is said to have been mild. For many teams, however, this was warning enough to reactivate old corona protocols. Belgian time trial world champion Remco Evenepoel, one of the favorites for the Tour of France, wore a red mask at the rider presentation.

"I don't want to scare people that I'm ill. I'm fine, but I'm careful," said Evenepoel, adding: "We come into contact with a lot of people here. I don't want to finish the Tour like the Giro last year." In 2023, Evenepoel dropped out on the first rest day while wearing the pink jersey after contracting an infection. That should not happen again.

Jonas Vingegaard

(Bild: AFP)

In the Visma team of Danish defending champion Jonas Vingegaard, PCR tests and hand disinfection are again part of the standard program in addition to the masks. Corona has already caused a prominent drop-out in the run-up to the race. Vuelta champion Sepp Kuss, who was intended to be a noble helper for the Danish winner of 2022 and 2023, was hit harder by the virus. "Sepp is very valuable. We miss him very much. Not just me, but the whole team," said Vingegaard.

Pogacar, meanwhile, got off lightly, as he reassured: "I've recovered well. Covid is not as serious as it was back then. I already had the virus. The body gets used to it. It wasn't that bad and passed quickly." He only took one day off in total, after which he rode a little on the roll.

Remco Evenepoel

(Bild: AFP, twitter, krone.at-mrgrafik)

"The danger is always there"
The German Red Bull team is also aware of the situation. The usual strict hygiene and precautionary measures are in place. In the event of infections, this will be ramped up again, as a spokesperson confirmed in response to a dpa inquiry. "The risk is always there, all the time. We try to be careful. It's hard to escape. Sometimes you need luck," said captain Primoz Roglic and added, looking at the packed hall at the press conference: "I assume that everyone has a negative test result."

Not at all, because all corona measures have long since been lifted for the Tour. Last year, masks were still compulsory in certain areas after the many Giro crashes due to Covid. Journalists had to wear a face mask whenever they came into contact with a rider, and other team members and the riders themselves were also required to wear a mask in the so-called paddock - the bus parking lot at the start and finish. These times seemed to be over.