Tour de France organizers ASO and the UCI confirmed that four teams-Cofidis, AG2R La Mondiale, Ineos Grenadier, and Mitchelton Scott-had tested positive for coronavirus in PCR swab tests conducted on the first rest day.

After a morning of rumors and team bus chasing, the ASO-owned French newspaper L'Equipe reported that no players had tested positive. However, L'Equipe later confirmed that race director Christian Prudhomme had tested positive and left the race, and ASO and the UCI further confirmed that staff from Cofidis, AG2R La Mondiale, Ineos Grenadier, and Mitchelton Scott also tested positive They revealed that they had tested positive.

Despite the positive cases in the "race bubble," the Tour de France will continue on Tuesday, with riders facing the possibility of an echelon race on the coastal road between Ile d'Oléron and Saint Martin de Ré on the central west coast of France. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo Visma) is wearing the race leader's yellow jersey after a strong weekend in the Pyrenees.

ASO and UCI have confirmed that he has left the race bubble.

The teams were informed of the test results well before the stage began, but were told to wait for official word from ASO and UCI before confirming the test results. However, a few teams posted on social media their enthusiasm and goals for the second week of the Tour de France, indicating that they had no problem continuing with the Tour de France.

At one point, a Dečuninck-Quick-Step team staff member was seen being taken away in an ambulance for what appeared to be a secondary examination, but the riders then boarded the team bus and headed for the start.

The Belgian team quickly clarified that the staff member's second test was negative.

"Due to an error in the laboratory regarding the samples submitted by the Japanese yesterday, we retested them this morning. The results of this retest were negative and we will continue racing as normal," a team spokesperson stated.

Approximately 650 athletes, team staff, and race officials in the protected "race bubble" were tested between Sunday morning and Monday afternoon.

The rules of the COVID-19 medical protocol for the Tour de France were changed before the start of the race at the direction of French medical authorities. Teams wanted to distinguish between the eight riders and staff, but due to the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in France, the French government overturned the UCI-ASO agreement and finalized the "two strikes, team out" rule.

In recent weeks, several false positives were confirmed in the peloton, raising concerns that teams that later tested negative could be banned from the Tour.

French television stations reported that 650 COVID-19 tests were sent to Paris for overnight testing. The follow-up inspections were conducted during the race in a mobile inspection lab set up by race organizer ASO.

In the days leading up to the Tour de France Grand Depart in Nice, two Lotto Soudal staff members were sent home because they did not test negative. One staff member later tested positive.

There is also no plan to specify at what point a valid winner will be declared if the race is interrupted before Paris.