Updated:11/10/2020 13: 55h
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The Saturday day of Tour of Italy it appeared on paper like a haven of peace. After having signed the fastest stage in history on Friday, the peloton expected a transition day awaiting the arrival of the high mountain on Sunday, but the positive for coronavirus of one of the candidates for the final triumph shook the race from first hour in the morning.
It was then that the organization confirmed that Simon Yates would not take the exit after having confirmed his infection the night before. The news traveled every corner of the start and became the talk of the day within the peloton. Yates, who suffered a slight fever late on Friday, tested positive in a rapid test and was quickly isolated waiting for a second test that confirmed the contagion. Once transferred out of the bubble and hsopitalized, the Giro carried out several tests to check if any of the members of its team, the Michelton Scott, they also suffered from the disease. Fortunately, they all tested negative, which eased the pressure on the race and allowed the start to be taken yesterday with some normality. Even so, the hum was constant throughout the day within the peloton.
Yates’ is the first positive of a cyclist on a great lap. There was no cyclist contagion in the Tour de France, which could be played smoothly a few weeks ago, and after the abandonment of Yates, the Giro is confident that there will be no more for this reason. “We all want to get to Milan. It is our goal. Yates’ is the first case after ten days and I believe that the health protocol that we have implemented has worked well. If we had only followed the one from the UCI – somewhat less restrictive – we would have had to wait for the result of the test on Sunday, with the consequent danger of spreading the contagion. I think our rapid test system is working very well, “said Mauro Vegni, director of the Giro, on Italian public television.
In any case, It will not be until the rest day on Monday when the peloton can finally breathe. That day, all members of the round are scheduled to pass a PCR to confirm if they are eligible. A routine process that has now been loaded with uncertainty and that could end with the cancellation of the race if more positives are confirmed.
Meanwhile, the riders took a break yesterday in a quiet stage won by Alex Dowsett. The triumph of the Briton is the first in a big round for the “Israel Start-up Nation”, a team that has signed Chris Froome for next season. Today, the first high final with a demanding route in which the favorites -among which is the Spaniard Pello Bilbao- must show their worth.
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