NICE, France (AP) — French authorities have made it harder for Tour de France teams to reach the finish line in Paris by deciding they will be expelled from the race if two or more of their staff members test positive for COVID-19 within a week. The move was announced just a few hours before the start of the three-week race’s opening stage in the Riviera city of Nice. It overruled a decision from cycling's governing body that had eased the Tour’s exclusion rules on Friday. There are 22 squads of eight riders competing at the Tour but a total of 30 members per team when staff are included.
![items.[0].image.alt](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/13da45c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4566x2568+0+238/resize/1280x720!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fac%2F28%2F9aa35794438ea2c49a6262554f5e%2Fap20241359129083.jpg)
Thibault Camus/AP
Team Jumbo - Visma riders pedal during a training session along the beach of the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, southern France, ahead of upcoming Saturday's start of the race, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. The Tour de France sets off shrouded in uncertainty and riding in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and mounting infections in France. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Posted at 10:51 AM, Aug 29, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-29 13:51:43-04
Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
