Guillaume Martin, the rider for the Cofidis Team, was 14th in the general classification and will not be starting the 9th stage this Sunday. The race was abandoned after the Norman runner tested positive to Covid-19.
He was the eighth-place finisher in the 2021 Tour.
The Tour was halted on Saturday by the Norwegian Vegard Stake (UAE), who is a teammate of Tadej Pogacar (AG2R Citroen) and the double title holder.
Guillaume Martin reacted, "It's frustrating because I have no symptoms. I feel good, and proof of that is in my performances during the final two stages." From the Tour 2022, he had set a series record of 362 consecutive days of racing without abusing it.
"There were many great things to do on the remaining stages of this Tour. They were more suited for me than I was. Everything was going great until that point, and I had avoided any falls during the first week of Tour. Finally, I arrived at a place where I felt I would have fun. "The current situation has decided differently", regretted the Frenchman.
The federation was informed that the decision was made collectively by the doctor on the team, the Covid-19 doctor responsible for the event, and the UCI medical director, based on available clinical evidence. international.
The results of the tests on all Cofidis riders as well as the entire staff were negative. According to the protocol set by ASO (organizer), the team will conduct a new mandatory test at Monday's end.
At the start of the stage, two other riders will not be running: the Portuguese Ruben Guerreiro (sick), and the Dane Kasper asgreen (injured in the knee).
