(Reuters) – British rider Simon Yates of Team-BikeExchange-Jayco and Ineos Grenadiers’s Pavel Sivakov have been forced to withdraw from the Vuelta a Espana after testing positive for COVID-19 ahead of stage 11 on Wednesday, their teams announced.
BikeExchange-Jayco leader Yates, who won the race in 2018, was fifth overall on general classification after Tuesday’s individual time trial stage.
“The 30-year-old suffered with mild symptoms overnight and returned a positive test this morning, and in accordance with strict team policy, Yates will not continue in La Vuelta,” the team said in a statement on Wednesday.
France’s Sivakov was ninth overall.
“This morning Pavel Sivakov has returned a positive lateral flow and will not take to the start of stage 11 of the Vuelta a Espana in line with team and UCI protocols,” Ineos Grenadiers said.
Stage 11 is a 191.2km ride from Alhama de Murcia to Cabo de Gata.
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru and Julien Pretot in Paris; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
