All the cards are reshuffled on the Giro: the Belgian Remco Evenepoel, big favorite of the Tour of Italy, left the race on Sunday evening after a positive test for Covid-19, announced his Soudal-Quick Step team.
“I’m really sorry to have to leave the race. As part of team protocol, I carried out a routine test which unfortunately came back positive,” said the world champion, who had just taken over the leader’s pink jersey in a statement, after having won the 9th stage.
“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 23-year-old Flemish who must return to Belgium on Monday by car, according to his team.
First in the standings ahead of Thomas and Roglic
Remco Evenepoel, who had already retired during his previous participation in the Giro in 2021, was the big favorite for this 106th edition with the Slovenian Primoz Roglic.
His forced renunciation comes when he had just won the second time in the Tour of Italy in Cesena with a second ahead of Geraint Thomas and two over the other Briton of the Ineos team, Tao Geoghegan Hart. In the general classification, he was 45 seconds ahead of Thomas and 47 over Roglic, before Monday’s rest day.
He had had a thunderous start to the Giro, winning the inaugural time trial, before falling twice on Wednesday during the fifth stage and being slightly left behind by Roglic on Saturday. But there was no indication that the Belgian was affected by the coronavirus.
He is the fifth rider to leave this 106th edition of the Giro because of a positive Covid-19 test after Frenchman Clément Russo (Arkéa-Samsic) and Italians Nicola Conci (Alpecin), Giovanni Aleotti (Bora) and Filippo Ganna (Ineos).
