Tadej Pogacar positive for Covid-19 only 10 days before Tour de France: "I was only completely off the bike for one day"

Covid-19 is still very much hitting the peloton and it's biggest names. Sepp Kuss is missing the Tour de France after not recovering from an infection; Mads Pedersen revealed today he had it just a couple weeks ago and Tadej Pogacar revealed a bombshell that he tested positive only days ago.

"Ten days ago I had Covid. I got sick and felt very tired. I was a bit of a question mark because of that, but I recovered very well from the Covid infection," Pogacar said with only two days to the Grand Depart in Florence. This afternoon, UAE Team Emirates took to the team presentation, with no mask in sight, meaning no concerns. "In the end it wasn't that big of a problem. I feel really good now."

The Slovenian was at altitude in Isola 2000, with several teammates who were also preparing for the Tour de France. It is not the first time that Pogacar had Covid-19, but it also didn't seemingly have too much of an effect - neither physical or psychological - to the rider whom many say is the main favourite to win the whole Tour de France.

"Covid is no longer such a serious problem. Especially if your body has carried the virus before. I have had it once myself, maybe more often. Your body gets used to it," he states. "It was not too bad, but more like a cold. I was only completely off the bike for one day, then I rode the rollers indoors. And when I no longer felt sick, I started cycling outside again.”

Ultimately, it doesn't look as if the virus affected Pogacar's preparation for the Tour, which consisted fully of training. This Saturday, both he and Jonas Vingegaard take on their first race day in a long time in what can only be described as an explosive and treacherous stage.