“Not bad at all for a guy with Covid, huh?” were the words of Geraint Thomas after Primoz Roglic’s performance on stage eight of the Giro d’Italia, That’s when the Slovenian gave a few seconds to his rivals with his spectacular climb on I Cappuccini. Welshman set off the alarm, but it was no more than a Rumor that had been circulating in the squad for days and that Rogick fed himself To tease your rivals. The directors of Jumbo-Visma denied this the same afternoon, but what remains mere anecdote for one may not be so for another…
This had already happened last year, with significant retirements such as João Almeida, who finished fourth overall in the middle of the fight for the title. But this year, COVID-19 is wreaking even more havoc. It all started with the last casualties of Ciccone, the three Jumbo riders (Foss, Geesink and Van Emden) and Mader, which gave way to a series of retirements in the most sensitive race. last three, In just 24 hours: Filippo Ganna, Rigoberto Uran and… Remco Evenpoel.
Leaders who abandoned grand tours
| tour of italy | french tour | back to spain |
|---|---|---|
| -Eddy Merckx (1969) -Marco Pantani (1999) -Remco Evenpoel (2023) |
-Luis Ocana (1971) -Bernard Hinault (1980) -Pascal Simon (1983) -Rolf Sorensen (1991) -Stephen Hulot (1996) – Michael Rasmussen (2007) -Tony Martin (2015) |
-Igor Anton (2010) |
The Belgian bids goodbye to the Italian Tour for the second time in a row, in a race that, for the time being, has brought him more trouble than joy. after confirming his return, COVID positive late Sunday night on Sabbath eve This is most painful possible in front of a show that is clearly conditioned for the rest of his career. Strange circumstances apart (despite discomfort, he won the time trial), Evenpoel’s abandonment is not common, as history shows us.
and that’s about The grand tour marks the eleventh abdication of a leader in history (see table). Remco, in turn, third in the Giro, following the retirements of two illustrious cyclists: Eddy Merckx (1969) and Marco Pantani (1999), curiously, both due to manipulation of positive perceptions. It should be noted that, within a complete list that also includes runners Luis Ocana (Tours, 1971), Bernard Hinault (Tours, 1980), Michael Rasmussen (Tour, 2007) o Tony Martin (Tours, 2015), Evenpoel es Abandonment due to COVID only From the repertoire which includes falls and doping cases. When will this game turn the page?
