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Tadej Pogacar lost a second UAE Emirates teammate ahead of stage 10 on Tuesday as New Zealander George Bennett was withdrawn.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
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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- George Bennett was withdrawn ahead of stage 10 on Tuesday
Bangladesh will not play T20 World Cup matches in India, says sports adviser
- The development follows release of Mustafizur Rahman by IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders
- Bangladesh are scheduled to play three Twenty20 World Cup matches in Kolkata next month
Bangladesh will not play their Twenty20 World Cup matches in India after Mustafizur Rahman was released by his Indian Premier League team amid growing tensions between the countries, Bangladesh’s sports adviser Asif Nazrul said on Sunday.
Kolkata Knight Riders said on Saturday they had released the Bangladesh bowler after being told to do so by India’s cricket board (BCCI).
Bangladesh are scheduled to play three Twenty20 World Cup matches in Kolkata next month, with the February 7-March 8 tournament being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
“Bangladesh will not go to India to play the World Cup. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has taken this decision today,” Nazrul, who is an adviser to the Ministry of Sports, said in a statement.
“We welcome this decision taken in the context of the extreme communal policy of India’s cricket board.”
Last month, hundreds protested near Bangladesh’s High Commission in New Delhi after Hindu factory worker Dipu Chandra Das was beaten and set on fire in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district by a crowd that accused him of making derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad.
A total of 12 people were arrested in connection with his death.
WORSENED RELATIONS
The incident worsened relations between India and its neighbor, with ties already strained after Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to New Delhi following protests against her.
After Mustafizur’s release on Saturday, the BCB had held an emergency meeting and were planning to write to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to relocate their matches and raise concerns about player safety.
“The board said that where a Bangladesh cricketer can’t play in India despite being contracted, the entire Bangladesh cricket team can’t feel safe to go to the World Cup,” Nazrul had said.
“I have also instructed the board to request Bangladesh World Cup games to be held in Sri Lanka.”
Last year, the ICC allowed India to play Champions Trophy matches in the United Arab Emirates due to soured relations with hosts Pakistan.
On Sunday, cricket news site Cricbuzz reported that the BCB would ask the BCCI for a formal explanation regarding Mustafizur’s release.
The ICC and BCB did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Bangladesh are due to play West Indies, England and Italy in Kolkata before ending the group stage against Nepal in Mumbai.
