Just 11 riders have virus but concern over fans allowed up close

PARIS • The remaining 165-strong Tour de France peloton are free to ride after they all returned negative results from a mass Covid-19 test conducted by the organisers.

The tests were carried out on Sunday after stage 9 in the Alps.

Three riders had withdrawn over the weekend due to positive tests - a total of 11 have dropped out - since the start of the most prestigious cycling race in the world.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) yesterday said that all Tour riders had returned negative Covid-19 results from tests conducted the night before.

Staff were tested yesterday, on the first rest day of the Tour, the organisers added.

There had been fears the peloton could be decimated when all riders were tested after Sunday's ninth stage. But they breathed a sigh of relief after the good news and they can now focus on today's stage 10 - a 148.1km ride from Morzine Les Portes Du Soleil to Megeve in hilly terrain.

Last year, if two members of a team tested positive for Covid-19, the whole outfit would have been sent packing, unlike this edition.

Whether a rider who tests positive can stay in this race is decided following a meeting between race, UCI and team doctors, and depending on the rider's viral load.

Still, the riders and their teams are on edge, with many of them unhappy at how spectators have been allowed to get in such close proximity.

"It's a big scare," said two-time defending Tour champion and yellow-jersey leader Pogacar, whose UAE Emirates teammate Vegard Stake Laengen pulled out after testing positive on Saturday. "We take it very seriously. We take a lot of precautions. I hope that most of the bunch will stay safe."

Groupama-FDJ manager Marc Madiot added: "In the last two editions, there was some uncertainty and everyone was being super cautious. Nowadays there's no obligation, for the general population, to be cautious, which is normal.

"But for us, there can be big consequences. It's (Covid-19) like gangrene. When it's here, it spreads fast." AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS

Stage 10: Singtel TV Ch116, 7.15pm