The Corona-pandemic, creates new Jobs, also in Cycling. In the Foyer of a hotel, in which several Teams in the Sibiu Tour are located, sit two young women, and keep the temperature scanner in the hands. Good for the cyclists and their carers to come to you, and the temperature can be measured. The volunteers enter the measured values in lists. “Twice a day the temperature is measured. We also need to fill out twice a day a log of our state of health, whether there are symptoms,“ says Gregor Mühlberger, Profi of the German team Bora hansgrohe. “The organizers put a lot of effort, that we stay safe,” he says. And with a large bow in his Hand, points to the historic market square in the Romanian city of Sibiu: “We can see, we are well protected.”
On the square of the prologue started on Thursday. “In previous years, the 4000 Fans were here alone at the Start. Of course, the atmosphere was filled with, well,“ says Cosmin Costea. Costea route Manager and the tour is. This year, he still has a special second job: Covid-19-responsible. In this role, he has provided for Extra barriers. Grid dividing the space. Anyone who is not authorized, is not even close to the team buses, where the riders prepare on the Start. Are authorized only to the drivers themselves, their managers, the UCI Commissaries and a part of the organization staff. They were pre-tested all on Covid-19. Representatives of the media and spectators are not allowed in the area.
a Ghost race is not yet. Because on the other side of the barriers, still on the historic market square, there is everyday life. Shops and Restaurants have opened. Tables and chairs of the Restaurants extend right up to the barriers. Several hundred people sitting and standing there and firing, until the rain wipes them from the place of the individual driver.
The seven Crazy of Transylvania
those Who opted for an early start number, had luck this Thursday. Nikodemus Holler, a few years ago an Intern at the World Tour team Argos Shimano, today, Sunweb, and now as a semi-professional football for the Team Bike Aid-on-the-go, started as a 6. and had dry roads under the rubber. “Yes, I had a bit of luck. But we knew that there would be a Thunderstorm. And that’s why I started early. It was a Chance, but you must grab such opportunity with both hands,“ he said self-consciously. Now the 29-Year-old, who has earned his money off the race as a carer for severely disabled people is, as the winner of the first race under Corona conditions in the annals. For him, as for his whole Team, a huge success. On Friday a double, the Team succeeded in Bora hansgrohe on the first stage of success. The Austrian Gregor Mühlberger came on Friday after 183 kilometres from Sibiu to the 2040-metre-high Bâlea lake, in front of his countryman and team-mate Patrick Konrad.
Possible race, because there are Cycling enthusiasts with major networks here in Transylvania. “Ten years ago, we were seven friends who wanted to organize a bike race. We knew Cycling just from watching, but we thought, we want to organize,“ says route planner Costea, one of the seven Cycling-Crazy from Transylvania. “You know, we were hungry. In the ancient times there was in the Newspapers only a short news about a Tour de France stage. She went from there to there, so-and-so many kilometers. Then, the first three of the stage and the first three of the overall standings, there were still there. After 1989, we could see the Tour and then also on television. And then we wanted to organize something themselves, and are eventually grown from year to year, so that now World Tour Teams come to us. My wishes are all met,“ says Costea.
