"I’m going to stay far away from him" - Evenepoel looking to avoid Juan Ayuso following Covid-19 infection
Cycling
Covid-19 has been spreading throughout the Vuelta a Espana very noticeably, and having the red jersey means extra precaution for Remco Evenepoel and Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team as they attempt to stay as safe as possible - even if it means steering clear of Juan Ayuso.
“I’m going to stay far away from him at the start,” Evenepoel said of Ayuso at the end of yesterday's 13th stage where both arrived safely in the peloton to keep their respective positions in the general classification. “I think it’s risky. There is a good chance that he will still give up because corona slowly builds up in the body".
Quick-Step riders are said to be sleeping in individual rooms, and Rémi Cavagna - former roommate of Pieter Serry who abandoned with a Covid infection - has not been having dinner with his teammates. The Belgian team are putting on all the stops to prevent an infection from derailing the race, and with Juan Ayuso testing positive but remaining in the Vuelta a Espana peloton, Evenepoel was adamant on keeping his distance to the Spaniard.
“It's not up to me to say anything about it. It's nice for him that he feels better. But I would advise him to think carefully about it, as he could be seriously ill within a few days. That's how it went for my teammate Pieter Serry," the 22-year old said. Both are however likely to go head to head at Sierra de la Pandera today where the GC will be played out once again in the final ascent.
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- I'm deeply sick of this guy and his unwillingness to race seriously for more than a month or two. I'll never respect riders who do that. Seixas will be stronger than him next season, and maybe Del Toro as well. I don't even think he'll finish on the podium at any GT where Pogi, Seixas, and Del Toro are racing.megasmacky15-11-2026
- Not a chance in hell.megasmacky15-11-2026
- If you go watch some races from last season other riders that have never caught Jonas...are now catching him. Some are just riding away from him and he can't hold the wheelmd197514-11-2026
- He just doesn't have the desire anymore. I read an article earlier today that said he almost retired last year. His reasoning was he is away from home to much. Visma was able to keep him riding by allowing him to skip certain camps. So, while currently Visma is doing altitude work...Jonas is at home. Which means 2 things. 1- He maybe fresher than other riders. But, not the condition. 2-Is a somewhat slap in the face to others on the team that are supposed to help him win. Yet feel like he hasn't done what they have so perhaps they don't provide as good of protection or they ride more for theme (which the team may not notice).md197514-11-2026
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- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
- Martinez had a good year! 5th at the Tour was a great result for him, albeit largely through getting in successful breaks, but he held it better than Pidcock who’d done the same.Lozza14-11-2026
- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
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Another day, another performance for @EvenepoelRemco 🙌 At just 22 years and 220 days of age, he becomes the youngest rider since the inaugural edition of #LaVuelta22 to lead the race on 8️⃣ consecutive days 👏 Photo: @GettySport
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