The Tour de Suisse is threatened with cancellation due to the corona virus

Covid-19 is spreading rapidly on the Swiss national tour. In addition to earlier retirements, 30 riders did not start Friday’s stage six. The organizers are keeping the option open to end the event on Saturday morning.

Alexander Vlasow had to leave the Tour de Suisse as a leader – because of the corona virus.

imago

On Thursday, the Russian Alexander Wlassow won the fifth stage of the Tour de Suisse after Novazzano and took the overall lead. On Friday morning his hopes of winning the Tour of Switzerland were dashed in one fell swoop. The 26-year-old tested positive for Covid-19. In a hurry, the organizers gave Jakob Fuglsang, who had been second overall, a yellow leader’s jersey for the sixth stage.

More cancellations came in almost every minute. The Swiss drivers Marc Hirschi, Stefan Bissegger, Silvan Dillier, Reto Hollenstein and Joel Suter either contracted the corona virus themselves or were classified as close contacts of infected people.

A total of 30 riders did not start the stage on the Moosalp on Friday after there had already been a number of cancellations on Thursday. The Swiss classification driver Gino Mader had already dropped out due to gastrointestinal problems, and afterwards the corona virus was also detected in him. Four teams particularly affected by the pandemic have left the Tour de Suisse as one.

The sporting relevance could no longer be given

After a meeting with representatives of all remaining teams, organizer Olivier Senn announced that the race would initially continue, but that the situation would be reassessed on Saturday morning. He tries to avoid a demolition, so Senn. But it is important to think about the safety of the drivers and all other people involved. Especially since a point can be reached at which the sporting relevance of the competition is no longer given.

The drivers reacted soberly but pragmatically to the situation. “We thought we had that behind us,” said Geraint Thomas from Team Ineos. After the failure of his leader Adam Yates, the 2018 Tour de France winner is suddenly one of the closest favorites. Thomas kept his chances on Friday, reaching the finish line on the Moosalp at the same time as Fuglsang.

Stefan Küng can also continue to hope for a top position in the overall standings. The Thurgau lost only 39 seconds to the group of the best riders in the final 18-kilometer climb, leaving behind the Belgian Remco Evenepoel, among others; Küng is now seventh.

It's still hot too: Stefan Küng gives himself a bottle on Friday.

It’s still hot too: Stefan Küng gives himself a bottle on Friday.

Gian Ehrenzeller / Keystone

Küng has to survive another mountain stage on Saturday. If a cancellation can be avoided, the Tour de Suisse will end on Sunday with a time trial. Küng is one of the top contenders for victory on the 25.6-kilometer circuit in Vaduz. However, the 28-year-old could leave early because the birth of his first child is imminent.

Calls for lockdown at the Tour de France

The fact that the pandemic is spreading despite protective measures is likely to influence the further course of the season. It seems foreseeable that the teams will rigorously isolate themselves again before and during the Tour de France, which begins on July 1st. Corresponding demands can already be heard.

The return to normality in cycling this year is acutely endangered. It is not inconvenient for some exponents to be able to keep fans and media at a distance. But when the protagonists isolate themselves in bubbles, the occasions lose a large part of their charm.

source site-111