Giro d’Italia 2023: Four more Soudal Quick-Step riders have all witdrawn with Covid-19 after Remco Evenepoel

Four Soudal Quick-Step riders have withdrawn from the Giro d’Italia after testing positive for Covid-19.

It has been a desperately disappointing Grand Tour for Patrick Lefevere’s team, who lost general classification contender Remco Evenepoel to the virus after he tested positive on Sunday.

Team doctor Toon Cruyt said: “After the positive of Remco on Sunday Evening, we had two more riders who were feeling unwell on Monday morning, but were negative on antigen tests.

“Therefore, a PCR test was carried out on the seven remaining riders, the results of which showed that the four guys were positive. We will continue to monitor and implement our testing protocol on the three riders and staff that remain at the race.”

Soudal Quick-Step are still reeling from the news of Evenepoel’s withdrawal, which had huge ramifications for the race and gifted Geraint Thomas the pink jersey.

The Belgian was leading the general classification at the time by 45 seconds after claiming victory in the individual time trial on Stage 9.

He said: “He was sick as a dog and you could see that, you didn’t need to be a doctor to see that.

“He was positive and then people said he went home on purpose? If I go to my lawyer, I think whoever said that would have a problem. It’s libellous.

“We came to the Giro to win. You could see that Remco was sick even the day before the time trial.

“He looked tired, but he still won the time trial. He deserves some respect for that.”

His departure was confirmed just hours after the 23-year-old emerged victorious on Sunday, and leaves Thomas, Primoz Roglic and Tao Geoghegan Hart as the leading contenders to win the race.

Soudal Quick-Step are not the only team to have been affected by Covid-19, with AG2R Citroen also confirming that Andrea Vendra will miss Stage 11 after testing positive for the virus.

Ineos’ Filippo Ganna was also forced to leave the race on Saturday after contracting the disease.

For the remaining riders, attention now turns to Stage 11 in a race to the city of Tortona in the north west of the country.

This will be a relatively flat stage where the sprinters should come into their own before the race ventures into the Alps.

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