Israel-Premier Tech have been reduced to just one rider at Paris-Nice as sickness and flu has decimated the peloton over the first five days of the race.
Hugo Houle started stage five of the stage race alone after three of his teammates were forced to withdraw ahead of the day's action, on top of three that had already departed.
They are among 18 riders to not start stage five, a list that includes Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates) and Dylan Groenewegen (BikeExchange-Jayco).
Speaking ahead of the day, Houle said it was a first time thing for him to be riding along. "I feel pretty lucky to still be feeling good," he said. "So far so good, I will try to give it a go today, it's a nice stage, plenty of opportunity I think. I'm here and I'll do my best to get a good result."
James Piccoli and Carl Fredrik Hagen were reported to be out with "non-Covid viral symptoms", while Tom Van Asbroeck is out with the "early signs of a respiratory infection".
Guillaume Boivin withdrew ahead of stage three with back pain, while Mads Würtz Schmidt was caught up in a crash on stage two and Rudy Barbier was forced to abandon after just one stage due to illness.
Other teams to lose riders ahead of stage five were Alpecin-Fenix, Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, Team Arkéa Samsic, AG2R Citroën, Team DSM, Bora-Hansgrohe, and Bahrain-Victorious.
Crashes on the hectic crosswind-affected stage two appear to have caused some to abandon, but it is mostly non-covid illness causing problems.
Trentin was forced to withdraw with concussion symptoms on Thursday after a crash on Monday, with the team saying that a scan "revealed the presence of new symptoms in keeping with a post-concussive syndrome (worsening headache, sensation of pressure in his head, drowsiness, fatigue, feeling unwell, neck pain)".
Both Yves Lampaert and Zdeněk Štybar left the race due to illness, according to Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl. The winner of the last two editions of the race, Max Schachmann, departed ahead of stage four due to feeling unwell.
Overall, 28 riders have abandoned Paris-Nice so far, which according to Procyclingstats is the the most to leave a stage race since 2011, and there are still four stages to be completed.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
-
'Tough' but 'nice': The Tour of the Alps through the eyes of the race's only sprinterGiacomo Nizzolo raced the Alpine stage race despite there being no sprint opportunities
-
Chris Froome: Being competitive at Tour de France would be a 'dream scenario'
The Israel-Premier Tech rider on being back at his normal level, appreciating his past, and aiming to have form late into the season
-
Israel-Premier Tech withdraw from Tour of Flanders for medical reasons
WorldTour squad already depleted by illness and injury hit by second Covid positive
-
Paris-Sneeze: The tale of a Race to the Sun struck by illness
More than half of peloton abandoned the race over the course of eight days
-
Fred Wright confident of soon taking maiden pro win after impressive start to 2022
The Londoner put in a stellar performance at Paris-Nice last week and now heads into his Classics campaign stronger than ever
-
Five things we learned from Paris-Nice 2022
The Race to the Sun provided another thrilling edition that was dominated by Jumbo-Visma
-
Simon Yates wins final stage eight as Primož Roglič seals Paris-Nice title
The Brit soloed to the finish, staving off the pursuit of Roglič and Wout van Aert
-
Primož Roglič: Wout van Aert is 'half human, half motor'
Slovenian pays credit to Jumbo-Visma teammate after his efforts to help him win Paris-Nice
