"There are some sick people in the peloton. There is a lot of coughing" - Covid concerns at the Vuelta a Espana

Earlier this year, the Giro d'Italia was decimated by riders being forced to abandon through covid and other illnesses and whilst this hasn't been the case so far at the Vuelta a Espana, disease is spreading throughout the peloton.

"The last 3 days haven't gone so well," TotalEnergies leader Steff Cras, who sits 15th in the general classification heading into stage 11, revealed in a post-stage interview with Sporza. "I've gotten a little sick. I had hoped it would be better after the rest day, but the last 2 nights have been terrible. And my sinuses are bothering me."

The concerns of Cras though, are of that dreaded news for any rider with ambitions of success at a Grand Tour, positive covid tests.

"There are some sick people in the peloton. There is a lot of coughing. I don't think it is corona," Cras explains, trying to convince himself as much as anything. "I have certainly tested. Yesterday I was quite feverish. I am now taking antibiotics for 2 days. Hopefully I will recover by the weekend."