The Belgian week started badly for the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar.
The last winner of the Tour de France, leader of the UAE Team Emirates, was indeed forced to give up taking the start of the Walloon Flèche in Charleroi, this Wednesday, April 21, with his teammates, following two tests. positive Covid-19 income within the team and management.
"We regret to inform you that UAE Team Emirates will not participate in Flèche wallonne because two members returned positive tests for Covid-19 on April 20," UAE said in a statement.
The two affected team members, Diego Ulissi and a member of staff (also vaccinated), returned two negative tests in the days leading up to the trip to Belgium.
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Except that on their arrival, the two individuals underwent a test which turned out to be positive.
They then underwent three separate tests (two antigens and one molecular).
The new results were negative, and none showed any symptoms.
UAE Team Emirates out of #FlecheWallonne 2021.
Full statement: https://t.co/SXMtKT9hXG pic.twitter.com/5pGX56WEVh
- @ UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) April 21, 2021
Unfortunately, we had to submit to the sanitary conditions imposed by Belgium: “Although the team is frustrated by the decision, we fully accept the final decision of the Belgian authorities, we can read in the press release.
The team withdraws from the race and will undergo further tests with the aim of starting Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday.
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We all have negative and we don't start Flèche Wallone.
We had false positive yesterday but came three times negative afterwards.
- Tadej Pogačar (@TamauPogi) April 21, 2021
It is therefore postponed for Pogacar, who had clearly displayed his ambitions two months before the start of the Tour de France.
We can also imagine the disappointment of his Swiss teammate Marc Hirschi, also revelation of the 2020 Grande Boucle, which won last year on Belgian roads.
At the start of the season, the entire UAE-Team Emirates (except Diego Ulissi, absent for health reasons), had participated in a vaccination campaign in the United Arab Emirates.
