Effects of coronavirus on professional races

[staubsauger]

This race is going nowhere I fear. To be honest my Giro mood is already kinda finished since Tuesday as I know they won't make it to Milano very likely. There are going to emerge too many positives in the upcoming days for certain.

The Vuelta a Espana though might be on actually. As it's held fully under a cheese cover without interference from the outside world. If they bring everyone to the start line healthy it should work out if rules are enforced strictly!

The Giro d'Italia by now already looks too much of a lottery to me with major favorites being harmed and out of the race due to Covid-19. It's about to become meaningless if there's just one more big name caught out by the infection!

 

[richwallone]

"We have won a couple of stages and cant really do more in this race, lets all go home now, its safest"

KEKW, *** EF.

A bit selfish from them... I mean they can pull Jumbo card and just leave... Don't force the cancellation for everybody if you don't feel like finishing and pretending to feign concern for all others... Just proved to me that EF is a bunch of virtue signaling hipsters

BTW, UCI rejected their request:

EF Pro Cycling call for Giro d'Italia to be stopped

UCI rejects the request, later announce further COVID-19 testing

www.cyclingnews.com

 

[RedheadDane]

In the event of unjustified absence, withdrawal or giving up, the UCI WorldTeam shall be liable to a fine of between CHF 10,000 and 20,000. For stage races, this fine shall be multiplied by the number of days' racing remaining on the day of absence, withdrawal or giving up.

By that begs the question; what constitutues an "unjustified absence, withdrawal or giving up"? Because they could argue that being concerned for their riders' health is a justified reason.
Did all the teams that withdrew from P-N (either before, or during the race) back in March get fines?

 

[richwallone]

By that begs the question; what constitutues an "unjustified absence, withdrawal or giving up"? Because they could argue that being concerned for their riders' health is a justified reason.
Did all the teams that withdrew from P-N (either before, or during the race) back in March get fines?

If they really want to leave, without paying the fine, all they need to do is just keep testing obsessively all staff, not only riders, until they find somebody who tests positive and use it as an excuse to jump the Giro ship... If it's really as bad as they say, it should be fairly easy

 

[Samu Cuenca]

If they really want to leave, without paying the fine, all they need to do is just keep testing obsessively all staff, not only riders, until they find somebody who tests positive and use it as an excuse to jump the Giro ship... If it's really as bad as they say, it should be fairly easy

Or enter the Giro-E as well

 

[RedheadDane]

If they really want to leave, without paying the fine, all they need to do is just keep testing obsessively all staff, not only riders, until they find somebody who tests positive and use it as an excuse to jump the Giro ship... If it's really as bad as they say, it should be fairly easy

I think they already test staff as well.

 

[Jagartrott]

Teams are wrong to suggest this IF the organisation is good and teams are in tight bubbles. But if it is true that the policemen that have been found positive did sleep in the same hotel as Sunweb, then there is something wrong with the isolation/bubble approach.

By the way: the cold and damp conditions are not helping.

 

[staubsauger]

If they really want to leave, without paying the fine, all they need to do is just keep testing obsessively all staff, not only riders, until they find somebody who tests positive and use it as an excuse to jump the Giro ship... If it's really as bad as they say, it should be fairly easy

That's like a prostitute looking out for a HIV positive to enforce condom mandatory. If anybody inside the cycling bubble is at risk to develop serious symptoms from a Covid-19 infection, it's the team's staff. As in the end of the day they're just ordinary people,not healthy athletes.

If it happens you're correct of course, but they certainly shouldn't be kinda looking out for it.

 

[tobydawq]

This race is going nowhere I fear. To be honest my Giro mood is already kinda finished since Tuesday as I know they won't make it to Milano very likely. There are going to emerge too many positives in the upcoming days for certain.

The Vuelta a Espana though might be on actually. As it's held fully under a cheese cover without interference from the outside world. If they bring everyone to the start line healthy it should work out if rules are enforced strictly!

The Giro d'Italia by now already looks too much of a lottery to me with major favorites being harmed and out of the race due to Covid-19. It's about to become meaningless if there's just one more big name caught out by the infection!

I agree with the lottery thing being very, very mood-breaking. I don't think it will be cancelled, however.

 

[tobydawq]

Teams are wrong to suggest this IF the organisation is good and teams are in tight bubbles. But if it is true that the policemen that have been found positive did sleep in the same hotel as Sunweb, then there is something wrong with the isolation/bubble approach.

By the way: the cold and damp conditions are not helping.

Did you think a team had a hotel all to themselves?

 

[tobydawq]

By that begs the question; what constitutues an "unjustified absence, withdrawal or giving up"? Because they could argue that being concerned for their riders' health is a justified reason.
Did all the teams that withdrew from P-N (either before, or during the race) back in March get fines?

To the question: Probably not.

To the first part: It's just lies. It's not safety concerns. Had it been Tolhoek who had tested positive and Kruijswijk was still lurking as a potential Giro winner, no way they had gone home.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

To the question: Probably not.

To the first part: It's just lies. It's not safety concerns. Had it been Tolhoek who had tested positive and Kruijswijk was still lurking as a potential Giro winner, no way they had gone home.

Best joke was how Sunweb denied Benoot from riding GW, because he was in the same talkshow as Bakelants who had tested positive. But the roommate of an infected rider in the Giro, that's not a problem.

 

[Jagartrott]

Did you think a team had a hotel all to themselves?

Bubble concept.
Teams and staff should be kept away from people from 'outside', like the caravan, journalists, etc. - including policemen that have apparently been so careful that 17 of them got covid.

 

[tobydawq]

Bubble concept.
Teams and staff should be kept away from people from 'outside', like the caravan, journalists, etc. - including policemen that have apparently been so careful that 17 of them got covid.

How many hotels do you think there are?

Even in a bubbly world.

 

[HelloDolly]

This call about team safety and COVID is a crock

The idea that anyone in the teams will develop any kind of Covid that negatively impacts their health is so so small..almost none nor are they near anyone who is vulnerable

but the same team priciples that talk so virtuously about r safety allow their riders to fling themselves off mountains in nothing but lycra for protection at 80+Km per hour in icy and wet conditions or race at high speed through narrow gaps at the end of races

But suddenly its all off cos of the threat of Covid positives

 

[search]

to be fair, Plugge was infected himself earlier in the year, leading to a two week hospitalisation. So in Jumbo's case it may be bit more believable.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Koen Bouwman (Jumbo) said:
Everyone was just walking around. And the policemen (75) were all just walking around with no mask and didnt care about anything. Pretty bad. No bubble whatsoever

 

[EliseeReclus]

I am normally a lurker on here just to keep keep up with some of the news and stages when I can't watch at work, but I've been feeling a little conflicted about the threats to leave the race over protocols.

On the one hand, I think we should definitely listen to the riders with regard to their own safety and it sounds a lot like there are lots of failings at the hotels for them, especially if the police are walking around without masks and being irresponsible (although they're cops and 1312 so what's the surprise there).

However, I feel that pointing the fingers solely at RCS and the UCI misses the point a bit. From what I've heard in terms of hotel protocols the same measures are present as at the tour, but they aren't being applied as rigorously. I think the problem is likely that RCS booked up hotels and gave the criteria and protocols to be covid safe, hotels likely jumped at the business as things will have been slow over lockdown and didn't consider the actual implementation of the protocols, and police ended up behaving like police always do, so problems arose.

I don't see why an equal amount of blame isn't being put towards the team management for the lack of standards. It would be fairly straightforward and not exactly expensive for teams to send a member of staff a day or two ahead of the race (maybe they'd have to be very careful to avoid the e-giro travelling contagion though) to check the hotel, check how food will be served and check how secluded the riders are from other guests. After this they can provide guidance to the team and also the hotel on how it is best. If this isn't up to standard then they can give the hotel notice to do so, or raise it with RCS etc. Or with food they can make alternative arrangements in the town which are more secure than a shared buffet.

I feel often there is a reflexive response to blame organisers for problems that may be very difficult for them to control given they have to organise for several hundred riders and team staff, and that these problems could be much more easily dealt with by a little bit of team due diligence.

 

[Jagartrott]

This call about team safety and COVID is a crock

The idea that anyone in the teams will develop any kind of Covid that negatively impacts their health is so so small..almost none nor are they near anyone who is vulnerable

Jens Keukeleire got covid in March, had a high fever for 10 days, and it took him 3 months to train somewhat normally again. He says he never had to return from this deep. His results in the classics, by the way, are not very convincing. What if he never reaches his old level again?

But hey, you know best.

 

[tobydawq]

Jens Keukeleire got covid in March, had a high fever for 10 days, and it took him 3 months to train somewhat normally again. He says he never had to return from this deep. His results in the classics, by the way, are not very convincing. What if he never reaches his old level again?

But hey, you know best.

So we should just cancel cycling for the next years? You know that they are almost just as likely to get it in their private lives, right?

 

[search]

I don't see why an equal amount of blame isn't being put towards the team management for the lack of standards. It would be fairly straightforward and not exactly expensive for teams to send a member of staff a day or two ahead of the race (maybe they'd have to be very careful to avoid the e-giro travelling contagion though) to check the hotel, check how food will be served and check how secluded the riders are from other guests. After this they can provide guidance to the team and also the hotel on how it is best. If this isn't up to standard then they can give the hotel notice to do so, or raise it with RCS etc. Or with food they can make alternative arrangements in the town which are more secure than a shared buffet.

Bora for example brought their own kitchen truck to avoid situations like this. The riders have dinner in the bus/truck.

 

[RedheadDane]

Bora for example brought their own kitchen truck to avoid situations like this. The riders have dinner in the bus/truck.

And that's what I thought teams always did; prepare their own food (well, have people prepare their food).

 

[tobydawq]

Bora for example brought their own kitchen truck to avoid situations like this. The riders have dinner in the bus/truck.

I actually thought that having your own cook had been a thing for the last decade.

 

[jmdirt]

Bubble concept.
Teams and staff should be kept away from people from 'outside', like the caravan, journalists, etc. - including policemen that have apparently been so careful that 17 of them got covid.

17 motor bike cops in the motor bike version that sets off before the actual race.

 

[Cookster15]

RCS Sport and the UCI are responsible. They have not applied the bubble protocols at the Giro as rigorously as was done in the Tour. That we just had the TdF to prove how it can be done and even learn from and yet RCS Sport and the UCI still failed? It is inexcusable.