Simon Yates out of Giro d’Italia after testing positive for COVID-19
British Mitchelton-Scott rider developed very mild symptoms after Stage 7 in Italy
Milan: Briton Simon Yates has been withdrawn from the Giro d’Italia after testing positive for coronavirus, his Mitchelton-Scott team said on Saturday.
“Yates developed very mild symptoms in the hours following yesterday’s seventh stage, the team said in a statement.
“The Mitchelton-Scott medical team immediately requested a rapid test which indicated a positive result. A second, RT-PCR, test was later taken, which has confirmed the positive result.”
Yates, who won the Tirrno-Adriatico stage race in the lead-up to the Giro, was 21st overall, 3:52 behind overall leader Joao Almeida of Portugal after losing more than three minutes in the first mountain stage.
Riders on the Giro stay in a biosecure bubble when not on the road, just as they did on the Tour de France, which finished on September 20. No riders tested positive on the French tour.
On the Tour, two positive tests in a team within one week would trigger the ejection of the outfit from the race but no such rule was put in place on the Italian grand tour, which started from Sicily last Saturday.
Italy has seen a recent rise in coronavirus cases, with a post-lockdown record 5,372 people infected registered on Friday.