Tokyo Olympics 2020: German cyclist Simon Geschke ruled out of Games after testing positive for COVID-19

Tokyo: German cyclist Simon Geschke has tested positive for coronavirus and has been ruled out of Saturday’s Tokyo Olympics road race, the German Olympic Committee said. “It is so hard to be taken out of the running so soon before the competition,” Geschke, a former Tour de France stage winner, said on Friday. “I followed all the hygiene rules to the best of my knowledge. I feel good physically, but emotionally this is a very hard day for me.” The other 12 members of the German cycling team were staying in the same hotel as Geschke but all have tested negative. Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia starts favourite in the 234km race that includes five climbs around Mount Fuji, the highest point in Japan at an altitude of 3,776m (12,388ft). Pogacar headlines a star-studded peloton that includes 2016 Olympic champion Greg Van Avermaet and his Belgian teammates Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert.