Riders and teams run arguably the biggest gauntlet of this Tour de France so far on Monday's rest day in the west of France, as they undergo testing for Covid-19 for the first time since the race began in Nice, a Covid ‘red zone’, over a week ago. There is a palpable sense of trepidation at what the tests might show up. Organisers ASO have already said that any team found to have two positives in their ranks – riders or staff – will be expelled from the race. With the stakes so high, teams and riders reacted with dismay to the sight of fans, many of them unmasked, packing the climbs of the Pyrenees over the weekend, screaming the riders on, or running alongside them. The professional riders' association (CPA) called on fans to wear face masks along the route, while riders urged fans to be more responsible. “The coronavirus is here, and we want the Tour to get to Paris,” said Jumbo-Visma’s Tom Dumoulin. “There we can have people screaming without masks, and it will be fine.” Spanish team Movistar issued a statement on Twitter urging fans to use masks and maintain social distancing to give the race the best possible chance of reaching Paris on September 20.
