Paris (AFP) - Jumbo-Visma have withdrawn from the ongoing Tour of Switzerland due to an outbreak of Covid-19 in the Dutch outfit, they said on Thursday.
This comes just two weeks before the Tour de France begins in Copenhagen with two of the riders on the Tour of Switzerland, American Sepp Kuss and Rohan Dennis of Australia, due to be part of their team.
Kuss was lying in seventh spot overall in the Tour of Switzerland, 10 seconds off leader Stephen Williams.
"Team Jumbo-Visma will not appear at the start of the fifth stage of the Tour of Switzerland today," they said,
"The reason is that despite all precautions, corona(virus) has crept into the team again.
"In the interest of the health of the riders and staff and to protect the peloton and the race, the Dutch formation's medical and sporting management consider withdrawing from the Swiss race the wisest decision."
The Tour de France is their main target for the season with their hopes primarily resting on Slovenian Primoz Roglic and Dane Jonas Vingegaard.
They warmed up for it in perfect style with Roglic finishing first and Vingegaard second in the Criterium du Dauphine which ended last Sunday.
"Team Jumbo-Visma doesn't reveal who became a victim of the covid infection," they said.
"For the time being, the situation has no consequences for the Tour de France shortlist, although we have to wait and see what happens in the next few days."
Later, Ineos announced Briton Adam Yates had also pulled out of the race.
"In line with team and UCI protocols, @AdamYates7 has withdrawn from #TourDeSuisse2022 this morning after experiencing mild symptoms and returning a positive lateral flow test," they said on Twitter.
Thursday's fifth stage is a 193km run from Ambri through Lugano to Novazzano, near the Italian border.
