The plot of the Tour de Suisse cyclist was completely relaunched on Friday, June 17. The Dane Jakob Fuglsang (Israel-Premier Tech) recovers the leader’s jersey in the general classification even before the start of the 6th stage, whose arrival is scheduled at the top of the Moosalp. No racing facts at work, but the return of an actor who had already shaken up the calendar of events since 2020: the Covid-19.
After the abandonment of the Dutch team Jumbo-Visma and Adam Yates, the leader of the British formation Ineos-Grenadiers, the day before, the peloton was relieved, this Friday, of nearly thirty runners of the test suites positive for SARS-CoV-2.
The slaughter concerns the Russian Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) Tom Pidcock (Ineos-Grenadiers), Alex Aranburu (Movistar), Gianluca Brambilla (Trek-Segafredo) and Louis Vervaeke (Quick-Step), to which are added the packages of four riders from EF Education-Easy Post, two from Israel-Premier Tech and the entire Alpecin-Fenix, Bahrain-Victorious and UAE-Team Emirates teams. Only 92 riders remain in contention out of the 154 entered at the start in Küsnacht on June 12.
Cases also at the Tour of Slovenia, a race in China canceled
“It’s a difficult situation that saddens us, but everyone knows the rules, reacted Olivier Senn, the director of the event with L’Equipe. The eighteen remaining teams have all agreed to continue and there will be no cancellation of the event today. »
A new point is scheduled for Saturday to decide the follow-up to this race, considered with the Critérium du Dauphiné as one of the best preparations for the Tour de France, whose big start is scheduled in two weeks, on July 1 in Copenhagen. The Tour de Suisse is due to end on June 19.
At the Tour of Slovenia, Tadej Pogacar’s UAE-Team Emirates team was also affected by Covid-19: two riders (Mikkel Bjerg, tested positive, and Vegard Stake Laengen, contact case) had to leave the event on Friday at in which the double winner of the Tour de France participates.
Separately, the organizers of the Tour of Guangxi (China), the last World Tour race – an elite division of road cycling – of the season, scheduled for October 13-18, have announced that it will not take place. for the third year in a row. Again, due to the health situation.
