“I do not make a lot of friends because I am pushing a lot of Danish away from Jonas" - Jumbo-Visma boss critical of lack of Covid-protecting measures at Tour de France

Jumbo-Visma are in the Tour de France with a lineup designed around it's ambitions to take the win in both overall and points classification, and have since day one been big protagonists in the Grand Boucle.

Team Jumbo-Visma manager Richard Plugge has told Velonews that “nobody is wearing a mask anymore. And people just do not understand how important it is to keep distance. That is mainly the biggest problem compared to a year ago.” Having suffered an outbreak at the Tour de Suisse, the Dutch team is well aware of the damage the lack of safety can lead to.

With an eye on the Tour de France, the main Jumbo-Visma block has been training and racing together for the good part of the month leading up to the Tour de France. Besides a big lack of presence at the national championships, it's riders and staff are also frequently using masks on most public appearances - something which over the year was slowly declining. With team DS Merijn Zeeman testing positive right before the start of the race, not only was it a disappointment for the team but also a high risk situation. 

With riders and teams being pulled out of races due to outbreaks several times this year, Jumbo-Visma wants to take no risk. But Plugge is critical: "We are doing the same as we did to protect our riders and staff. The only problem is that you see around here that nobody is having protocols or measures. The rest of the world thinks it’s over, but it’s not over. It’s spiking at the moment in Europe, and maybe it’s even worse than last year during the Tour. That’s the big problem.”

Outside from the high number of Covid cases in the continent, the loosening of restrictions around the audience - both on the road and around the start/finish areas has led to a higher risk. “I do not make a lot of friends because I am pushing a lot of Danish away from Jonas and the rest of the riders. You want to maintain the distance. We also ask the fans to please keep your distance.”