Alberto Bettiol has spring schedule disrupted as he looks to recover form after Covid-19 infection

The EF Education-EasyPost rider has revealed that a recent Covid-19 infection took a big toll on his form and preparation and he suffered from the illness, and will be missing Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico and Milano-Sanremo which were all in his initial schedule.

Bettiol has told in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport that "we have decided with my coach Leonardo Pieopoli and sports director Charles Wegelius that I will return to Milano-Torino on March 16th. Then I'll do [Settimana Internazionale] Coppi e Bartali from March 22 to 26."

After having suffered through a Covid-19 infection, Bettiol admits that it is best that he does not yet return to competition, likely eyeing a block of training before Milano-Torino, before his big goals of the spring which should be the Tour des Flandres and Liège-Bastogne-Liège: "Corona has weakened me. I was sick with fever and dysentery."

"In Coppi e Bartali I will mainly be busy making kilometers. Maybe I'll do Dwars door Vlaanderen before I start in the Ronde. If all goes well, I will also race Liège-Bastogne-Liège," he concluded. Bettiol started his season in France with the GP La Marseillaise and the Etoile de Bessèges where he was an ever-aggressive figure, finishing second on what was one of the opening stage-races of the season.