In view of the corona wave in cycling, team boss Ralph Denk from the German racing team Bora-hansgrohe is concerned about the Tour de France, which begins in just under two weeks.
“For the sake of our sport, I don’t hope that it will just be a lottery,” Denk told the German Press Agency: “The concern is there. It can have an impact.”
After numerous Corona cases, more than 40 professional cyclists had to end the Tour de Suisse prematurely in the last few days. There had also been three cases in the Bora team, including that of Russia’s Alexander Vlasov, who had to pull out a day after his stage win and capturing the yellow jersey on Friday. “The drivers have very mild symptoms, which gives us a positive feeling for the Tour de France. We hope it doesn’t get worse,” added Denk.
Keep hoping for Vlasov
Wlasow was intended as a man for the overall standings in the Tour of France. “We haven’t given up. There’s still a chance. You have to wait a week. If he’s negative, he can get back on the bike. He’s not training at the moment,” explained Denk. The tour kicks off in Copenhagen on July 1st.
According to Denk, all drivers must submit a mandatory PCR test before the start of the tour, after which testing should be carried out on the rest days, as in the last two years. There was no positive case in the 2020 and 2021 editions, but the tour entourage was strictly isolated at the time and moved in its own bubble.
At Bora you try to let “common sense prevail”. “If we isolate ourselves again from the fans, from the journalists, then at some point the flair of the sport will be lost. That gives me a stomach ache,” said Denk. You have to come to terms with the virus.