Uran, Bettiol, Bissegger and Carthy test positive for Covid-19, disaster for EF Education-EasyPost
Cycling
Out of all the teams that have left the race today at the Tour de Suisse, EF Education-EasyPost may have been the worst affected as three of it's leaders into the Tour de France have tested positive for Covid-19 and besides being out of the race, have their Tour de France also at risk.
Climbers Rigoberto Uran and Hugh Carthy were both hoping to show their worth today and tomorrow as the race headed into the mountains, however will not be able to do so as they were part of the group of four riders that tested positive.
For Stefan Bissegger this situation proves itself to be disastrous. With the national championships and the opening Tour de France time-trial in the space of just two weeks, the Swiss will be lucky if he even gets to be at the start of each. Alberto Bettiol had shown form into the race and was finally back on track for the Tour de France, however things have taken a bad turn today.
The team has nonetheless decided to stay in the race, with only Neilson Powless and Jonas Rutsch remaining. Whether they will be able to make it until the end of the race is a different question, and one that will only be known in the coming days.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- He lives in Monaco
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - It's also highly significant for Lorenzo Finn as he won there last year. Also Mateo Ramírez and Henrique Bravo if they goRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- This is a phenomenal course design. I do wish that they'd stretch these tours for the women to at least 2 weeks.RidesHills03-11-2026
- This is an amazing route, honestly. Let's hope that it attracts riders to make it a compelling and competitive race. Side bar amusement: going to Slovenia and passing pretty close to Pogačar's house. I wonder if they were tempting him to get all 3 jerseys at once after winning the Tour and Vuelta. After all, only a very few have ever had all three at the same time (Froome being the last).RidesHills03-11-2026
- He was a child two years agoRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- A great route aswell. Col d'Arpy is a toughieRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- Let Torito have a shot at itRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- A great route, much more exciting than the Tour de France. Monte Livata is an interesting one, because they experimented with it at the 2026 Baby Giro, and it was fantastic. 4 km at 10%, then 10 km at 6.5% made for a great spectacle. The stage 16 is horrible. Montaner is also used in the U23s, in Giro del BelvedereRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- I remember when Mark went through that. He was really experiencing lows and thought about quiting many times. It took him a long time to recover. I, like many others were overjoyed when he came back. I hope Lafay has been tested. I wish him the best.Paggss03-11-2026
- That sucks for him. I've always wondered what guys like him do after retiring from cycling - go back to uni? He's still a very young manCrashjames03-11-2026
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We have decided to give the option of starting to the two remaining riders, Neilson Powless and Jonas Rutsch, with the consent of our medical staff. The remaining riders and staff have no symptoms and multiple negative tests. However, we will continue testing twice per day.
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