Covid withdrawals could be 'disastrous' for La Vuelta as Simon Yates and Pavel Sivakov become big-name casualties

The spate of Covid withdrawals “could end up being disastrous” for La Vuelta, according to Eurosport expert Dan Lloyd. Simon Yates (BikeExchange-Jayco) and Pavel Sivakov (Ineos Grenadiers) became the biggest names to exit the race due to the virus on Wednesday, with the pair fifth and ninth in the general classification respectively. Ad In total, 21 riders have abandoned the Spanish Grand Tour due to Covid, while 12 more have exited the race for other reasons.

Vuelta a EspañaGroves grabs Stage 11 to heal BikeExchange pain2 HOURS AGO “At this rate, Chris Froome could win the Vuelta! There’s so many people going out of it,” joked Adam Blythe on The Breakaway before quickly backtracking. “It is such a shame. If you’re feeling sick and coming under the weather, you can accept it a bit more.

“But for the likes of Sivakov, who feels great and did a fantastic time trial yesterday, he’ll be absolutely gutted. Riding himself back into the top 10, looking like he’s getting stronger and just being taken out of the race because of Covid. He must be gutted.” Relegation debate is 'going to rage' – so is it fair as Covid rips through cycling? La Vuelta GC standings Questions have been raised after charter flights transferred riders from the Dutch gran salida to Spain, and then again out of the Basque Country, while fans have lined the route throughout.

Lloyd fears the hasty reintroduction of Covid-safe protocols might be “a bit late”. “I think this is where it all gets confusing for fans of the sport and even I think for the riders and teams,” he said. “You’ve got Bob Jungels starting the Tour de France having tested positive for Covid, you’ve got Rafal Majka who tested positive within the race [the Tour] and is allowed to continue the