Thunderbolt on the Giro: the Belgian Remco Evenepoel, leader and big favorite of the Tour of Italy, left the race “with a heavy heart” on Sunday evening after a positive test for COVID-19.
His forced renunciation deprives this 106e edition of the highly anticipated duel between the young 23-year-old world champion and the Slovenian Primoz Roglic who promised so many sparks by the arrival in Rome on May 28. It comes as the young Flemish had just regained the leader’s pink jersey by winning Sunday in Cesena the second time of the Tour of Italy, with a second ahead of Geraint Thomas and two on the other Briton of the Ineos team, Tao Geoghegan Hart.
In the general classification, he was 45 seconds ahead of Geraint Thomas and 47 over Primoz Roglic, before Monday’s rest day. On Tuesday, when the race starts again without him, it is therefore the 36-year-old British veteran, winner of the Tour de France in 2018, who will wear the pink jersey. Roglic will be second, two seconds away.
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce that I will have to leave the race. As part of team protocol, I performed a routine test which unfortunately came back positive,” Evenepoel said in a statement from his Soudal-Quick Step team.
“My experience here has been really special and I was looking forward to playing the last two weeks. I thank the management and the riders who have made so many sacrifices to prepare for this Giro. I will encourage them for the remaining two weeks, ”added the Flemish, who must return to Belgium on Monday by car, according to his team.
Remco Evenepoel, who had already retired during his previous participation in the Giro in 2021, was the big favorite for this 106e edition with Primoz Roglic.
“He will come back strong”
Outgoing winner of the Tour of Spain, the Belgian phenomenon was attacking the second phase of his plan, which ultimately consists of winning the three Grand Tours, after a thunderous start to the season again, marked by victories in the Tour UAE and in Liège- Bastogne-Liege.
Everything had started well for him, on this Giro where he flew over the inaugural time trial on May 6, before falling twice on Wednesday during the fifth stage and being slightly outdistanced on Saturday by Roglic. But there was no indication that the Belgian was affected by the coronavirus.
He had just confided Sunday evening, after the stopwatch, not feeling the best. “I hope not to get sick”, he had launched in a sentence which unfortunately became prophetic for him.
“This explains everything. I hope everyone will respect his recovery period and his privacy. He will come back strong, ”commented the boss of his team, Patrick Lefevere.
Colombian Rigoberto Uran, of EF Education, has also tested positive for COVID-19 and has withdrawn from the race, his team announced on Sunday evening.
They are the fifth and sixth runners to leave this 106e edition of the Giro because of a positive test for COVID-19, after the Frenchman Clément Russo (Arkéa-Samsic) and the Italians Nicola Conci (Alpecin), Giovanni Aleotti (Bora) and Filippo Ganna (Ineos).
Ironically, the Jumbo-Visma team of Primoz Roglic seemed to be the most affected by the virus so far, since no less than three Slovenian teammates had to give up just hours before the start of the Giro because of a positive test.
It was ultimately his biggest rival in person who was hit on Sunday.