Samuele Battistella and Omer Goldstein late absences at Tour de France

With the Tour de France close to starting, several riders see their participation in the race end before it even started. Today two more casualties rose, as Samuele Battistella and Omer Goldstein were pulled out.

Goldstein not directly because of an infection, but due to his situation as a close contact. Israel - Premier Tech's Daryl Impey was also deemed, and is still in doubt for the race. Canadian Guillaume Boivin will be taking the place of Goldstein, a valuable addition to the flat stages and also a contender in the breakaways of some rolling days.

As for Battistella he came down with Covid-19, and will be forced to miss the race. Astana Qazaqstan Team miss another important card in their battle for a stage win, and the Italian has been replaced by Alexandr Riabushenko who will be targeting similar hilly stages.