Egan Bernal's Ineos Grenadiers team, Mitchelton-Scott, AG2R La Mondiale, and Cofidis, even though a second positive COVID-19 test for riders and staff will be recorded next Monday during rest day testing, There is no risk of being banned from the Tour de France, race organizer ASO confirmed to Cyclingnews.

The ASO and the UCI, in consultation with the French government, apparently changed their position overnight and decided to reset all counters before the COVID-19 test, which is scheduled to take place around the second rest day in the Alps.

"We will reset the counters for the next test. But if one of the four teams tests positive for another before that test, that team will be eliminated," a source told Reuters (opens in new tab).

ASO acknowledged the reset to Cycling News.

Under the Tour de France's special Covid-19 protocol, if two of the team's riders and staff test positive for the virus within seven days, the entire team will be excluded from the race.

If four teams have another infected rider this week, they will be excluded from the Tour de France. However, with the confirmation that the case counters will be reset to zero before the second rest day, the four teams will not be on the exact same cliffhanger going into the next group test.

ASO and the UCI confirmed Tuesday that the staff of the Ineos Grenadiers team, Mitchelton Scott, AG2R La Mondiale, and Cofidis tested positive for rest day testing before the start of stage 11.

Race director Christian Prudhomme and the technical staff working in the race bubble also tested positive. All left the race to self-isolate, and some teams sent home other staff who had been in the same room with the four positives.

With each of the four teams testing positive, it is no surprise that the teams are nervous; 2019 Tour de France winner Egan Bernal's chances of a second win were nearly destroyed if another staff member tested positive on Monday. on the second day of rest. The news that the counter will be reset to zero reduces that risk, but does not remove it entirely.

Mitchelton-Scott's Adam Yates wore the race leader's yellow jersey for four days last week and is looking for a mountain stage win.