One of our staff members, who was due to be heading to Tour de l’Ain later this week has tested positive for COVID-19. The results of this test come from his first PCR swab, taken at six days before the race start.
It is important for us to directly highlight that he has not been in contact with any other team members in recent months and is now isolating at his home. Although he was ill, he showed no COVID-specific symptoms and did not qualify for regular testing outside of these cycling-specific protocols. Our medical team will continue to monitor the situation and determine when he can return to competitions or team camps.
As a sport, cycling is putting so much time, energy and money into creating a safe bubble. The pre-testing’s primary function is to keep the bubble “clean”, and that has already proved itself here so early on in the season.
Although the UCI call for one test, three days ahead of non-WorldTour and non-ProSeries races, we are in favour of maintaining the same testing requirements that are in place for WorldTour races. We have and will continue to operate with two PCR tests – at six days and three days before the race start – to keep our bubble safe.
With this intensive testing, we are doing all that we can to keep the peloton bubble as free as possible from COVID-19. We share this information externally to avoid inaccurate stories and maintain transparency in relation to the sensitivity of the subject in the current climate. All content within this message has been approved by the colleague in question and we wish him the best as he recovers.