Tour de France 2022: Racers pull out due to new Covid hit, mass tests loom

Aigle: Covid-19 forced Frenchman Guillaume Martin out of the Tour de France on Sunday, a day after the first pair of cases were reported on the race.

The Cofidis rider, the highest-placed French finisher last year in seventh place, was 14th before pulling out ahead of stage eight from Aigle on Sunday.

“It’s such a shame because I only felt a slight sore throat and I was on good form yesterday,” said the former philosophy student who has published two books ‘Socrates on a bike’ and the ‘Society of the peloton’, a study of the individual within a group.

The Tour de France doctor told AFP at Aigle Sunday that the entire peloton would be tested Sunday evening after their arrival at Chatel in the Alps.

Ruben Guerreiro will not take the start for Stage 9 at the Tour de France due to a non-COVID-related illness. Rest up, campeão, and we look forward to seeing you on the roads later this summer.

— EF Pro Cycling (@EFprocycling) July 10, 2022

The peloton left raced under a cloud on Saturday after Norwegian Vegard Stake Laengen from Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates and Frenchman Geoffrey Bouchard of AG2R Citroen tested positive for the virus and were withdrawn.

Champion Tadej Pogacar said after Saturday’s stage that he fears Covid-19 could wreak havoc on this year’s Tour.

“It’s a big scare, the pandemic is still there with us, and we can’t risk racing with it,” said the 23-year-old two-time defending champion.

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