Gerben Thijssen replaced by Simone Petilli after positive covid test: "I had not seen this coming"

On Friday afternoon the news came out that Gerben Thijssen wouldn't line up to the start of Vuelta a España. The Belgian fast man tested positive for the corona virus and was therefore unable to start in Barcelona. Simone Petilli will replace Thijssen in Intermarché-Circus-Wanty lineup.

"I had not seen this positive corona test coming. I had prepared myself very well for this Vuelta. On Thursday, however, during training for the team time trial, I didn't get a meter ahead. Already after two kilometers I had to get out of my wheels. I didn't have the slightest power. That was not normal," Thijssen tells Het Nieuwsblad.

"I had a bit of a cold and thought it was all because of the terrible heat that overtook us all a bit here, but when I had a test taken after training today, we immediately knew the reason."

The disappointment at Thijssen was therefore immediately great. "This is a shame, of course. But when you hear that Tijl De Decker died after a training accident, you quickly put things into perspective. This is a very uncomfortable situation for me right now. But once you're sick, it's time to turn the knob and move on to the next race."