Multiple COVID-19 cases emerge at Tour de Suisse and Tour of Slovenia

Further cases of COVID-19 have emerged at the Tour de Suisse and the Tour of Slovenia, as the days countdown to the start of the Tour de France. UAE Team Emirates (opens in new tab) have withdrawn two riders from each race, while EF Education-EasyPost (opens in new tab) announced that Stefan Bissegger, Rigoberto Urán, Hugh Carthy, and Alberto Bettiol at the Tour de Suisse (opens in new tab) have tested positive. On Thursday the whole Jumbo-Visma team withdrew from the Tour de Suisse after four members of the team tested positive.

Adam Yates of Ineos Grenadiers also tested positive and left the race, as did Søren Kragh Andersen, Casper Pedersen, and Cees Bol of Team DSM. Human Powered Health also announced that the US national champion Joey Rosskopf had tested positive and was out of the race. With few COVID-19 restrictions in European countries and the protection against infection waning, case numbers are increasing across Europe despite the warm summer weather helping reduce case numbers in the past two years.

There are now growing concerns about the Tour de France (opens in new tab) which starts in Copenhagen on Friday July 1. Bissegger, Urán and Bettiol were all due to ride the Tour de France. Read More COVID-19, heat and crashes trigger flood of abandons at Tour de Suisse (opens in new tab) Adam Yates tests positive for COVID-19 two weeks before Tour de France (opens in new tab) Jumbo-Visma pull out of Tour de Suisse due to COVID-19 outbreak (opens in new tab) João Almeida out of Giro d’Italia following COVID-19 positive (opens in new tab) Team manager Jonathan Vaughters revealed early on Friday morning that the four EF Education-EasyPost riders at the Tour de Suisse that had tested positive have been sent home.

No staff tested positive and so the US-registered WorldTour team have given Neilson Powless and Jonas Rutsch the option of staying in the race for the final three stages. The team will continue to test for COVID-19 twice daily. UAE Team Emirates were hit by two cases of COVID-19 in 24-hours.

Marc Hirschi tested positive at the Tour de Suisse and Mikkel Bjerg at the Tour of Slovenia, where he was riding in support of team leader Tadej Pogačar. Both Hirschi and Bjerg were withdrawn from competition. Their teammates and staff at both races returned negative tests but Joel Suter (roommate of Hirschi) and Vegard Stake Laengen (roommate of Bjerg) were removed from racing as a precautionary measure.

“Unfortunately, like many other teams we have also had a surge in Covid-19 cases,” UAE Team Emirates Medical Director Adrian Rotunno said. “Our affected riders have been fully assessed, and are currently mildly symptomatic. The riders sharing a room with the positive cases are deemed high-risk contacts, so in the interest of rider, team and community health, we decided it is best that they also be withdrawn.

“It’s a pity but the reality is that the virus is still with us as a society and we are monitoring our athletes regularly to be as careful as we can. ”.