Evenepoel's Giro team shredded by new positive Covid cases / Photo: Luca Bettini - AFP
-
French magazine run by autistic journalists hits newsstands
-
US, Canadian and Australian travellers now face UK entry fee
-
France urges European Commission to be firm against Musk interference
-
Wildfire sparks panicked evacuations in Los Angeles suburbs
-
Nobel winner Ressa tells AFP 'dangerous times' ahead after Meta ends US fact-checking
-
Indonesia upholds iPhone 16 sales ban after Apple offers $1 bn investment
-
Dutch great Kluivert named Indonesia coach in hunt for World Cup spot
-
UK's Catherine turns 43 hoping for better year
-
France coach Deschamps says will leave after 2026 World Cup
-
South Syria fighters reluctant to give up weapons: spokesman
-
Dutch great Kluivert named coach of Indonesia
-
New Zealand crush Sri Lanka by 113 runs in 2nd ODI to win series
-
West Ham cancel Lopetegui press conference as sacking rumours swirl
-
Questions remain over South African involvement in Champions Cup
-
OpenAI chief Sam Altman denies sister's sexual abuse accusations
-
Hundreds rally for South Korea's Yoon as new arrest bid beckons
-
Bangladesh orders banks to assist UK minister graft probe
-
Germans turn to balcony solar panels to save money
-
Theekshana hat-trick restricts NZ to 255-9 in 2nd Sri Lanka ODI
-
Young's buzzer-beater lifts Hawks, Celtics down Nuggets
-
Grief and nostalgia in India's 'Jimmy Carter village'
-
Venezuela's 'colectivos' ready to pounce as opposition plans protest
-
Thai police hunt suspect over Cambodian politician shooting
-
Venezuela on tenterhooks ahead of rival protests, Maduro swearing-in
-
Devajit Saikia: lawyer, modest player and next India cricket chief
-
S. Korea's impeached President Yoon holds out in capital 'fortress'
-
Samsung warns fourth-quarter profit to miss forecasts
-
China's viral wild boar hunters attract fame and concern
-
Forgotten but not gone: Covid keeps killing, five years on
-
Is the world ready for the next pandemic?
-
Trump's provocative, often confusing, US foreign policy is back
-
Rescuers search for survivors after quake in China's Tibet kills at least 126
-
Brazil gears up for first climate conference in Amazon
-
In Brazil, an Amazon reforestation project seeks to redeem carbon markets
-
Djokovic with point to prove against younger rivals at Australian Open
-
Asian markets mixed after Wall St hit by US inflation fears
-
Mexicans offered $1,300 to hand in a machine gun
-
Venezuela arrests two Americans, five other 'mercenaries'
-
Iraqi archaeologists piece together ancient treasures ravaged by IS
-
Big Tech rolls out the red carpet for Trump
-
Kyrgios suffers new injury setback days before Australian Open
-
Former US president Carter lies in state after somber Washington procession
-
US company Firefly Aerospace to launch for Moon next week
-
Don't eat your Christmas tree, warns Belgium food agency
-
No proof fentanyl produced in Mexico, president says
-
Amphastar Pharmaceuticals to Present at the 43rd Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference
-
Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals PLC Announces Placing to raise £340,000
-
Guardian Metal Resources PLC Announces Garfield - High-Grade Antimony-Gold Assay
-
Mosquitoes with 'toxic' semen could stem disease spread: research
-
NFL's Raiders fire head coach Pierce
NYSE - LSE
| RBGPF | 100% | 59.31 | $ | |
| RYCEF | -0.42% | 7.17 | $ | |
| NGG | -0.46% | 58.6 | $ | |
| CMSC | -1.12% | 23.23 | $ | |
| BP | 2.54% | 31.83 | $ | |
| SCS | -2.14% | 11.2 | $ | |
| RELX | 0.72% | 45.98 | $ | |
| BTI | -0.52% | 36.78 | $ | |
| RIO | -0.33% | 58.19 | $ | |
| GSK | 0.38% | 34.09 | $ | |
| VOD | -0.71% | 8.41 | $ | |
| JRI | -1.88% | 12.22 | $ | |
| BCC | -1.69% | 118.22 | $ | |
| BCE | -0.34% | 23.86 | $ | |
| CMSD | -1.15% | 23.46 | $ | |
| AZN | -0.3% | 66.64 | $ |
Evenepoel's Giro team shredded by new positive Covid cases
The Giro d'Italia lost six more cyclists, four of them from former race leader Remco Evenepoel's team, on Wednesday owing to positive Covid tests taking the total of withdrawals due to the virus to 15 since the race began on May 6.
Race favourite Evenepoel had withdrawn late on Sunday due to a positive test and despite the race organisers implementing stricter rules on Monday Covid continues to affect the peloton.
"Soudal Quick-Step is disappointed to announce that four more riders from its Giro d'Italia squad have tested positive for Covid-19 and will leave the race," read a team statement.
"Following the positive test of Remco Evenepoel on Sunday, a further round of tests were made on the riders and staff that remained in Italy, with Jan Hirt, Josef Cerny, Louis Vervaeke and Matteo Cattaneo unfortunately unable to continue."
Their withdrawals leaves just three members of the team in the race -- Belgian rider Ilan Van Wilder is the best-placed, 19th some 12 minutes and 7 seconds adrift of the overall leader Geraint Thomas, winner of the 2018 Tour de France.
"We will continue to monitor and implement our testing protocol on the three riders and staff that remain at the race," said team doctor Toon Cruyt in the team statement.
The two other cases were both Italian riders, Andrea Vendrame and Stefano Gandin.
Evenepoel and the others were not obliged to withdraw due to a positive test -- it is at the team's discretion whether a rider carries on or not as the Covid health protocol has been dropped.
Evenepoel's withdrawal had sparked the race organisers to take extra measures.
"In the light of the latest developments concerning positive test results on some riders, the organisers of the Giro d'Italia informs that wearing a facemask will be compulsory in all areas of contact with the riders," said a race statement.
The statement said those areas include team buses and those parts of the start and finish zones of each stage that it supervises.
Wednesday's 11th stage is one made for the sprinters, a flat 219km ride from Viarregio to Camaiore.
A.Rodriguezv--AMWN
