The Tour de France embarked on its final week on Tuesday, with more than 500 miles of racing left and only 40 seconds separating the leader from his closest pursuer.
The field has already covered 15 stages, racked up nearly 1,650 miles and lost 20 cyclists, none of them to the coronavirus, despite early concerns that the race could trigger new waves of infections in a country that has seen a surge of cases in recent weeks. On Tuesday, the Tour announced that 785 more tests conducted on Sunday and Monday on riders, staff members of the 22 teams and race officials all had come back negative.
It has not exactly been business as usual, however. Fans of the Tour have been scarcer on the sides of the road, and selfies and autographs are forbidden. Riders put on masks as soon as they cross the finish line, and operate in a restricted environment, though that has not been foolproof: Last week, Christian Prudhomme, the races director, tested positive for the coronavirus, along with a few team staff members.read more
Tour de France Reports No Positives in New Round of Coronavirus Tests
