Tour de France: Tadej Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates manager tests positive for COVID-19, forced to leave the Tour

UAE Team Emirates manager Joxean Fernandez has left the Tour de France after testing positive for coronavirus. Tadej Pogacar’s squad have already been dealt a blow when Vegard Stake Laengen and George Bennett were forced to abandon due to positive cases of COVID-19 earlier in Le Tour. Ad/> Pogacar’s key domestique Rafal Majka also tested positive but had a low enough viral load which was deemed non-contagious.

Tour de France'He took it as an insult' — Wiggins reacts to 'street fight' drama for Pogacar8 HOURS AGO “Good morning, now I am the one who has to say goodbye to the main objective of the year,” wrote Fernandez on Twitter. “Last night I tested positive for COVID-19 in the internal control test carried out by the team itself. “I’ll be believing and supporting the boys and the whole team all the way, the Tour goes on.” /> Pogacar is currently 2’22” behind Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) in the general classification after losing time on the final climb of Stage 11.

The Slovenian was attacked persistently in the final 60km by the Jumbo-Visma pair of Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic, before cracking in the final 5km whilst Vingegaard won the stage and took the yellow jersey. He will look to respond on Thursday’s stage which finishes on the famous slopes of the Alp D’Huez. — — - Stream the Tour de France live and on-demand on discovery+.