Mask Up at the 2023 Tour de France: Organizers Introduce Stringent COVID Protocols
After a spate of COVID-19 infections swept the Giro d’Italia last month, the Tour de France organizers have reportedly added back COVID protocols for the race in July.
These new, stringent guidelines will keep racers in more “team bubble” situations and will hopefully avoid losing a large swath of the field to illness.
At the Giro, one of the top contenders—Remco Evenepoel—tested positive for COVID and was forced to abandon the race, despite winning his final stage, the individual time trial. He was one of the many riders who unfortunately ended up abandoning due to COVID positives. Unfortunately, the Giro reminded us that COVID is still very much a problem for the pro peloton.
Flashbacks to the 2021 Tour de France
Not wanting a similar situation at the Tour, Reuters reports that Tour de France organizers have put in place guidelines that feel more like 2021 than 2023: No selfies or autographs for fans, and riders are essentially confined to their hotels for meals. You’ll likely see a lot more masks at the start and at the finish, possibly including the podium.
Reuters was able to see the chart with the 2023 rules, which included: “For all the team members: Respect a confinement—Limit the interactions outside the race bubble. No eating out. Respect social distancing at the hotel. Do not get too close to the spectators—Social distancing, no selfies, no autographs.”
While these measures may seem stringent considering the low COVID numbers in France right now, it’s understandable that the organizers wouldn’t want to repeat the Giro’s COVID debacle.
With the close quarters shared by racers, from hotel rooms to team buses, a single positive test could be catastrophic for the peloton. And certainly with World Championships (in an Olympic qualification year) just weeks after the Tour, it makes sense that riders would also want to avoid any risks of contracting the virus.
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