Heal up, champ 💪 We and the #Giro are going to miss you, but we’re sure more opportunities to show yourself will come sooner or later! Photo: @BeelWout
Quick-Step doctor blames "negligence and lack of professionalism from the organization" for Remco Evenepoel's Covid disaster
CyclingTuesday, 16 May 2023 at 11:11
Within Soudal - Quick-Step naturally the spirits have gone down quite a lot over the rest day as the team lost its leader, the rider they had prepared to help for months and have been working for all week. The team doctor has analyzed the situation and believes the Giro d'Italia organization is to blame for the infection.
“Remco is very unhappy. You make so many sacrifices, but due to negligence and lack of professionalism from the organization you have to leave the Giro as the leader," Soudal - Quick-Step doctor Yvan Vanmol told Sporza. “These problems will also occur in the Tour and the Vuelta. There must be clear protocols. Not that it has to be as strict as a few years ago, but people have to sit around the table, also with the team doctors.”
Within the mistakes he considers the organizers have done, he pointed out a specific one: “A press conference in a small room, full of people: that is not possible. Yes, this pisses me off. It is the chronicle of an announced death, because there were all those infections at Jumbo-Visma before the Giro. There were already questions to the organization, for example, to do the press conferences via video call, but that was apparently impossible."
"I am not saying that the infections of Remco and Ganna could have been avoided, but the chance should have been greatly reduced," he argues. As the race goes on the number of cases seemingly rises, as now everyday riders test positive and the likes of Filippo Ganna and Domenico Pozzovivo have also been taken out of competition.
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Having tested positive right after winning the time-trial on stage 9, the World Champion has decided to pull out of the race. He was not forced to, as for example Sven Erik Bystrom remains in the race despite being infected, however it was decided that it was the correct option - despite the Belgian being in the lead of the race into the second week.
“Physically, Remco is okay to the extent that he has no more than a serious cold. But that is indeed more than enough to keep someone off course. We just acted correctly medically. It has been our policy all season to test at the slightest symptoms.”
That is, of course, because the risks and consequences of this infection are not fully known. “The risks after infection are still too great to take lightly. We cannot say that Remco did not suffer from the disease. Remco's values were clearly lower than the previous days. We must not minimize this. Moreover, he can also infect other colleagues," he concluded.
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