The cyclists will also have to be able to submit a negative corona test from Saturday 28 November, if they want to have the right to start. This can be read in the amended protocol that the KBWB published today.
“We can no longer survive under the pressure,” says Jos Smets, general director at the cycling association. “Of all professional athletes, the cyclists are the only ones who do not have to submit a corona test to participate in competitions. That could no longer be justified. ”
However, the original protocol worked well. Each rider was allowed to be accompanied by a bubble of three, only they were allowed in the camper. At the start, the riders wore their face masks up to two minutes before the start so that the risk of mutual contamination was kept to a minimum. With their strategy, the KBWB did not want to put unnecessary pressure on the test capacity.
Preferably PCR test
The international cycling union UCI emphasizes that it prefers the laborious but most reliable PCR test. Nevertheless, an antigen or rapid test will suffice for the KBWB. This can be purchased up to 24 hours before the match. Not only the riders must be able to submit a negative test. The three people who belong to the cyclist’s bubble – usually the two people in front of the equipment station and he / she who receives the rider at the finish – will also have to be able to demonstrate that they are corona-free. The extra costs that this test entails will be borne by the riders and / or their employer. The association chooses November 28 to give riders and teams enough time to organize.
Material post
Things will also change in the material post. These changes will already take effect on Sunday at the SP round in Merksplas. The access to and organization in the material station is being adjusted because there are currently too many people in the material station packed together in a relatively small space. The equipment post is divided into 15 boxes with at least one mechanic per rider and a second mechanic for the numbers 1 to 30 who must take the riders’ bikes from the same box.
Read the updated protocol yourself here. The adjustments are listed in red.
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