Borgo Valsugana (dpa) – The 105th Giro d’Italia will continue without the fourth overall Joao Almeida. The Portuguese tested positive for the corona virus and had to abandon the race. This was confirmed by the UAE team.
Going into Stage 18, Almeida was 1:54 behind overall leader Richard Carapaz of Ecuador. However, the 23-year-old is considered a strong time trialist and would have had chances of a podium finish in the final battle against the clock on Sunday in Verona. With Almeida eliminated, Emanuel Buchmann moved up from eighth to seventh place in the standings.
Almeida got flu symptoms overnight and was tested positive by a rapid test, UAE said. All other tests of drivers and team members were therefore negative. Almeida, like all other UAE drivers, had a single room.
The 18th stage on Thursday from Borgo Valsugana to Treviso is the last chance for the sprinters. On the 156-kilometer section, there is only a little more than 1,000 meters of altitude difference, and the last 50 kilometers are even downhill.