Michael Matthews has withdrawn from the Giro d’Italia after testing positive for coronavirus.
The Sunweb sprinter will not start stage 10 after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 during testing on the first rest day.
All riders and staff at the 2020 Giro were tested for coronavirus on Monday (October 12), with two riders and six staff members returning positive results.
>>> Mitchelton-Scott withdraws entire team from Giro d’Italia after coronavirus positives
Sunweb have confirmed that Matthews is one of the riders, while Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma) is the second rider to leave after also testing positive for coronavirus during the rest day.
Mitchelton-Scott have also pulled their entire team from the race after four staff members were diagnosed with coronavirus.
A statement from Matthews’s Sunweb team said: “After undergoing a PCR test at yesterday’s Giro d’Italia rest day, Sunweb’s Michael Matthews has tested positive for Covid-19. He is currently asymptomatic, feels healthy and after receiving the results early this morning, he is now in quarantine.
All other riders and staff returned a negative test and at this stage, no other team member displays symptoms of COVID-19.
“The team will continue to closely monitor all within their bubble, operating with as much discipline as possible, doing the maximum it can.”
A total of six team staff members working at the Giro d’Italia have also tested positive for coronavirus, including four from Mitchelton-Scott, one from AG2R La Mondiale and one from Ineos Grenadiers.
After pulling their general classification leader Simon Yates out of the race after he contracted coronavirus in the first week, Mitchelton-Scott have now opted to withdraw their entire team from the race to protect the health of their riders and staff.
All those who have tested positive for Covid-19 have been left in the care of their team’s doctors and will undergo isolation procedures.
Alex is the digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter and now as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output.
Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) and joining CW in 2018, Alex has covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers.
Away from journalism, Alex is a national level time triallist, avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
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