Frenchman Geoffrey Bouchard became the first cyclist to leave the 109th Tour de France due to Covid-19 on Saturday, after testing positive on Friday night, the AG2R Citroën team reported.
Bouchard, 30 years old, did not feel well during the seventh stage and was “subjected to an antigen test when he arrived at the hotel he was positive”, having been “immediately isolated from the rest of the group”, details the French team, led by the Australian Ben O’Connor, fourth classified in the last edition.
The French climber, winner of the mountains classification in the 2021 Giro and the 2019 Vuelta, made his debut in the Grande Boucle.
This is the first case of Covid-19 among the cyclists participating in the Tour, which began on July 1 in Copenhagen, Denmark. However, in recent days, Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl has also registered several cases among its staff, being forced to replace three sports directors.
In the hours before the start of the 109th edition, several riders were replaced in the planned team line-ups due to positive tests.
The peloton was hit by a new wave of Covid-19 in the weeks leading up to the Tour de France, forcing even the International Cycling Union to review the Tour’s health protocols.
The 109th edition of the Tour de France continues this Saturday with the eighth stagea 186.3 kilometer link between Dole and Lausanne, Switzerland.
Source: Observadora
