Departure of the 9th stage of the Tour de France this Sunday July 10 and already three runners will not start due to Covid-19. Two tested positive on Saturday evening and this Sunday morning we learn that Guillaume Martin, the leader of the Cofidis team, is also.
Return of a health bubble?
Most teams claim the return of a health bubble to protect the peloton as much as possible, like Mayenne Marc Madiot, manager of Groupama-FDJ. “_We are in a much more delicate situation than the last two years_s, he admits. Because for the past two years, there was uncertainty, anxiety among everyone. Everyone was paying attention. Today, there are almost no more obligations, for the population, there are no more rules, which is logical and normal. But we are in something or if we think positive, they go home. That’s what I call gangrene now. But when the gangrene is there, it spreads quickly.“
The peloton leaves Aigle in Switzerland this Sunday noon before returning to France on arrival in Châtel in Haute-Savoie, a 192.9 km long stage. A rest day is then scheduled for Monday, July 11.