Primoz Roglic took the first Maglia Rosa of his career at the 2023 Giro d'Italia in an incredibly dramatic finale against Geraint Thomas with just 14 seconds separating the pair in the final classification.
During the race though, a number of riders were forced to withdraw because of a positive covid test, including Soudal - Quick-Step leader, Remco Evenepoel who abandoned on the first rest day despite winning the previous stage and wearing the Maglia Rosa.
In the new, 'All-In: The Trilogy' Visma documentary dropping on Amazon Prime on March 16th, it's revealed that a key figure in Roglic's Giro d'Italia victory, Sepp Kuss remained in the race despite a positive covid test. "I took a positive corona test, but I only had more or less mild symptoms, no fever or anything," recalls the American.
Had it not been for Kuss' efforts on stage 16 atop Monte Bondone where Thomas put 25 seconds into Roglic, that timegap could've been much larger, potentially reversing the 14-second difference in the final classification.
Speaking about the situation on the documentary, sports director Merijn Zeeman insists no rules were broken by the team. "The infectivity was very low, and Sepp was not affected at all," he explains. "We did isolate him within the team and informed all the authorities about it."