The specter of the coronavirus is once again haunting pro cycling. While the International Cycling Union (UCI) announced on August 9 that it would put in place the same health protocol on the Vuelta as on the Tour de France, twelve riders tested positive for Covid-19 and had to give up since. the start of the Tour of Spain 2022. Something to worry the peloton when approaching the 10th stage on Tuesday.
Twelve of the twenty abandonments that have occurred in the peloton since the start of the Spanish loop are thus linked to a positive test for Covid-19. Monday, during the day of rest, Mathias Norsgaard (Movistar) and Jarrad Drizners (Lotto-Soudal) were added to the list of these abandonments which recall the misfortunes befallen Enric Mas or George Bennett on the Tour de France.
“It’s a real pain. The tests continue to generate stress in the teams, but it must be overcome. If you feel bad, you are not going to race anyway. I think that should be the regulation, not a test”Australian Ben O’Connor, climber for the French team AG2R, told AFP on Monday, two of whose riders, Italian Andrea Vendrame and Finn Jaako Hanninen, tested positive on Friday.
@JaakkoHanninen and @AndreaVendra had antigen tests at the hotel today which came back positive. They will not take the start of the 7th stage of the Vuelta.
#AG2RCITROËNTEAM #RideOtherwise #RideDifferently – – © Getty pic.twitter.com/aWOpw66MCn— AG2R CITROËN TEAM (@AG2RCITROENTEAM) August 26, 2022
Among the dropouts, we also find the Frenchman Anthony Delaplace (Arkéa), Wout Poels (Jumbo), lieutenant of the triple title holder Primoz Roglic, or Pieter Serry (Quick-Step), teammate of the current red jersey Remco Evenepoel. The Quick-Step even has three withdrawals since the start of the Vuelta: Mark Donovan and Nikias Arndt tested positive for Covid-19 and Henri Vandenabeele threw in the towel due to leg pain.
In July, seventeen riders had to abandon the Tour de France due to Covid-19, including Briton Chris Froome, four-time winner of the event, Frenchmen Guillaume Martin and Warren Barguil, New Zealander George Bennett or the Dane Magnus Cort Nielsen, winner of the 10th stage in Megève.