Cycling: Corona stops the pink jersey – Evenepoel now for the tour?

With a mask and sunglasses, young star Remco Evenepoel climbed into the car on Monday morning and set off on the journey home to Belgium “with a heavy heart”. Not one of his big rivals like Primoz Roglic or Geraint Thomas, but the corona virus had snatched the pink jersey from the road bike world champion at the 106th Giro d’Italia.

“What a pity, but life goes on,” said the 23-year-old. By the first rest day he had dominated the race with two time trial victories and four days as the leader.

Appreciation becomes a roulette game

Evenepoel, of all people, who had called for protective measures to be strengthened before the start of the Giro. Because Corona has long since had cycling under control again. Six drivers had to give up after a positive test, including well-known names such as former Tour runner-up Rigoberto Uran (Colombia) or two-time time trial world champion Filippo Ganna (Italy).

Suddenly, the virus turns the standings into a roulette game again. The German hopeful Lennard Kämna, who has moved up to eighth place, does not want to fall into “huge panic” and emphasized on Monday: “I don’t know if we’re going to change anything big. We’re not afraid of Covid. It’s like that it is. We’re trying to be as clean as possible in our bubble, and of course we’re trying not to get sick.”

Evenepoel doesn’t want to take any risks

Evenepoel’s exit was without alternative, as team boss Patrick Lefevere tweeted: “You never know what’s going on under the skin. No risk.” The world cycling association UCI relaxed the corona regulations at the beginning of the season. There are no longer mandatory tests, instead it is now up to the teams how they deal with the virus. Evenepoel complained of mild cold symptoms on Sunday after his victory.

“Corona no longer has the full force it used to have, but still…” Belgian virologist Marc van Ranst told Sporza broadcaster: “Evenepoel made the right decision for his health. In addition, you still live in a group there. You can infect anyone there, even now that the virus is less strong.”

At the start of the season, team doctor Yvan van Mol explained the team’s internal procedures: “We don’t know what the consequences of this will be for their heart system. Our role is to prevent our drivers who have tested positive for Corona from continuing to compete. We have afterwards not yet enough evidence to be sure that this will not affect their health.”

Is Evenepoel taking part in the tour after all?

Leaving the Giro in the pink jersey was the last time “Il Pirata” Marco Pantani happened 24 years ago. At that time, however, it was over for the climbing king who died in 2004 because of a hematocrit value of over 50 percent. Cycling legend Edyy Merckx, with whom Evenepoel is so often compared in his home country, had to leave the Tour of Italy as the leader in 1969 because of a positive doping test. A little later – doping was still considered a trivial offense at the time – the ban was lifted again. Shortly thereafter, Merckx won the Tour de France for the first time.

The tour could now also become the new goal of Evenepoel. Originally, after the Vuelta success in 2022 and a hoped-for Giro triumph this year, the Belgian only wanted to compete in the big duel with superstar Tadej Pogacar in France in 2024. “We’ll take some time and then we’ll see when he starts racing again,” said team spokesman Phil Lowe.

In any case, Evenepoel does not seem to have found happiness in Italy. In 2020 he suffered a fractured pelvis after a spectacular fall on the Lombardy Tour, and his comeback ten months later at the Giro was not very successful. And this year he had already fallen twice before his Corona-Aus, once because of a dog.