MEGÈVE, France: Tour de France leader Tadej Pogacar lost a second UAE Emirates teammate ahead of stage 10 on Tuesday as New Zealander George Bennett was withdrawn.
Vegard Stake Laengen of the UAE team pulled out on Saturday and Bennett’s loss means Pogacar has only five teammates left with 12 stages remaining.
With three days in the Alps coming up and sizzling temperatures expected, Pogacar’s rivals will take the news as a boost to their chances.
“George displayed some symptoms on Monday night and tested positive,” team doctor Adrien Rottuno said.
Rotunno revealed last Saturday the extreme measures the team have gone to in order to avoid infection.
“All the riders have their own room, when normally they would share. They also all have their own masseur,” he said.
Just ahead of the Tour, Matteo Trentin, a key member of Pogacar’s team, also pulled out of the race with COVID-19.
Pogacar leads the race by 39sec from Jonas Vingegaard with Ineos rider Geraint Thomas third, 1min 17sec behind, but big changes are expected over the next three stages.
Bennett is the fifth rider so far to pull out due to COVID-19 following Australian rider Luke Durbridge of the Bike Exchange who also withdrew on Tuesday.
French riders Geoffrey Bouchard and Guillaume Martin have also been forced out of the race by the virus.
Half a dozen riders had to be replaced prior to the start of the Tour after testing positive for COVID-19.
There have also been casualties in the backroom staff of the teams with Quick-Step on their third sporting director since it began in Copenhagen on July 1.
UAE’s Tadej Pogacar loses second teammate to COVID-19 at Tour de France
https://arab.news/j3dp9
UAE’s Tadej Pogacar loses second teammate to COVID-19 at Tour de France
- Vegard Stake Laengen of the UAE team pulled out on Saturday
- George Bennett was withdrawn ahead of stage 10 on Tuesday
Desert Vipers seal playoff spot with record sixth straight ILT20 win
- Chasing 167, the Vipers were guided home by an outstanding all-round display from Sam Curran
DUBAI: The Desert Vipers secured qualification for the International League T20 playoffs after an impressive five-wicket victory over Dubai Capitals at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, becoming the first team in the competition’s history to register six consecutive wins.
Chasing 167, the Vipers were guided home by an outstanding all-round display from Sam Curran, who followed up two key wickets with an unbeaten 52 off 33 balls to clinch the chase with five wickets and several deliveries to spare.
The Capitals had earlier posted a competitive 166 for 4 after recovering from early setbacks. Naseem Shah struck in the third over to remove Shayan Jahangir, but Leus du Plooy anchored the innings with a composed 54 off 44 balls. Gulbadin Naib added 21 before Noor Ahmad dismissed him with a well-disguised googly to halt the momentum.
The decisive moment came in the 14th over when Curran removed du Plooy in the deep and then dismissed Rovman Powell for a golden duck with the very next delivery, leaving the Capitals stalled at 94 for 4. A late surge from Jordan Cox, who finished unbeaten on 49, and skipper Dasun Shanaka, who made 29 not out, lifted the hosts to a defendable total, with 72 runs added in the final six overs.
In reply, Max Holden set the tone with a brisk 34, ensuring the Vipers reached 50 for 1 at the end of the powerplay despite the early loss of Fakhar Zaman. Hassan Nawaz injected momentum in the middle overs with a rapid 31, before Curran and Dan Lawrence steadied the chase and kept the required rate firmly in check.
Although Lawrence and Shimron Hetmyer both fell, Curran remained composed at the crease, anchoring the innings and finding the boundary at key moments to guide the Vipers to victory and extend their unbeaten run.
Player of the match Curran said: “We’re in a good space after putting together a couple of strong performances, and for me, the real satisfaction comes from finishing the job for the team. It went a bit deeper than we would have liked, but my focus is always on reading the situation and seeing the game through.
He continued: “When you’re winning, it simplifies decision-making, but we know we still need to keep improving and carry this momentum into the business end.”
Dubai Capitals captain Shanaka said his side had fallen just short.
“At 166, we had a competitive total, especially considering the quality of their bowling. However, our spinners didn’t hit the lengths we were looking for, and that made a difference,” he said.
“We had the firepower, but in hindsight, another 10 to 15 runs would have put us in a much stronger position,” he added.
The Vipers also used the fixture to highlight environmental awareness, wearing a special jersey featuring ‘Biodiversity Stripes’ made in the UAE from 100 percent recycled materials, as part of wider efforts to promote sustainability and biodiversity conservation.
