John Degenkolb and Nils Eekhoff will not partcipate in Baloise Belgium Tour due to Covid-19

Team DSM will be without John Degenkolb and Nils Eekhoff in this week's Baloise Belgium Tour. Both riders tested positive for COVID-19 and will have to miss out on the five-day stage race. Sprinter Alberto Dainese is now the main focus of the team for the Belgian Tour.

Nils Eekhoff was initially going to participate in the Baloise Belgium Tour, but the 24-year-old Dutch rider is still suffering from his crash in the ZLM Tour. "The damage is worse than I thought at first. I have stitches in my hand, elbow, and hip. I also have a lot of pain in my neck at the moment. So unfortunately I have to skip the Baloise Belgium Tour," Eekhoff told WielerFlits. John Degenkolb will also not be at the start of the Belgium Tour either. The German tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday, as did Nils Eekhoff.

Due to the absence of Degenkolb and Eekhoff, Team DSM will start with only five riders. The loss of Degenkolb and Eekhoff is a major setback for Team DSM, which wanted the duo to play a role in the classic stages. "In the Baloise Belgium Tour we are aiming for day successes and we have several pawns to play with. In the stages with a classic profile, we can play off John and Nils. With Alberto, we also have a fast rider for the stages that end in a bunch sprint. We are looking forward to it," team manager Roy Curvers said in a press release ahead of the race.