UAE Team Emirates rider Fernando Gaviria has tested positive for coronavirus for a second time this year and is out of the Giro d’Italia.
The Colombian tested positive in the Giro’s latest round of testing, as did a Team AG2R La Mondiale staff member.
Gaviria also tested positive for Covid-19 at the UAE Tour in February.
He is the fourth rider to test positive at the Giro and will not start Tuesday’s 16th stage – therefore ruling him out of the remainder of the race.
His team said he was “immediately isolated” following the test result and is “completely asymptomatic”.
“All other riders and staff returned a negative test, and will undergo further testing today,” a UAE Team Emirates statement added.
“The team’s medical staff are monitoring the situation closely and doing all they can to ensure the we can proceed safely.”
Two teams – Mitchelton-Scott and Jumbo-Visma – have already withdrawn from the three-week race because of positive cases in their camps.
Last week, one team called for it to end a week early, citing a “clearly compromised” coronavirus bubble.
EF Pro Cycling said on Sunday they wanted the race to end to avoid “a chaotic withdrawal on a team-by-team basis”.
The UCI refused their demand, saying race organisers have “committed to implementing the measures to secure the race bubble”.
