Mitchelton-Scott and Jumbo-Visma withdraw from Giro d’Italia after rest day COVID-19 positives

Mitchelton-Scott and Jumbo-Visma pulled their teams from the Giro d’Italia before Tuesday’s tenth stage after rest day COVID-19 tests on Monday revealed positive results, including GC contender Steven Kruijswijk. Mitchelton-Scott saw their race co-favourite Simon Yates abandon on Sunday after a COVID-19 positive, and then withdrew the entire team after four positive tests within the team staff.

#Giro UPDATE:

With the health of riders & staff our priority, we have withdrawn from the @giroditalia after results of the rest day COVID-19 testing, our 3rd round of testing in 3 days, revealed positive results for some of our staff.

Full details ?https://t.co/PWd7q5kcdL

— Mitchelton-SCOTT (@MitcheltonSCOTT) October 13, 2020

?? #Giro

Team Jumbo-Visma won't start in today’s tenth stage of the Giro d’Italia. More information will follow.

— Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) October 13, 2020

There were also positives for Michael Matthews of Sunweb and an AG2R staff member. Altogether 15-riders didn’t start on Tuesday, making for a noticeably smaller peloton.

The race went on, producing an engaging stage in which Peter Sagan, after three runner-up spots in Week 1, won his first Giro stage in his race debut. João Almeida kept the pink jersey and Jakob Fuglsang lost time because of a mechanical.

You can find out where to watch the Giro here.

The Course

Peppering the final 50-km of Stage 9 were several short, steep climbs both categorized and uncategorized. Along with wet roads, it made for a Classics-like day in Abruzzo. The last passage of the Tortoreto (1.9 km of 7.4 percent) peaked with 11 km remaining.

We are getting ready to resume the #Giro with a tough stage between Lanciano and Tortoreto (177km), which could bring some new gaps in the GC. pic.twitter.com/4EebaKAc1T

— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) October 13, 2020

It was a route sure to elicit a breakaway, and after some failed early attempts, eleven riders including Sagan bounced away. Once it got to the top of the first of the final grouping of climbs, the Colonnella (3 km of 8.6 percent), the break was down to five riders 2:00 ahead of the NTT-led peloton.

Just after third place Pello Bilbao attacked, fourth place Domenico Pozzovivo, whose NTT had been pulling for him, suffered an ill-timed flat tire. Pozzo made it back within 6 km.

Bilbao joined Sagan and Ben Swift out front with only the Tortoreto left to climb. The peloton was 28-seconds back. Sagan attacked as did Almeida back in the bunch.

With Almeida brought back, Pozzovivo put in a surge. Sagan tipped over the top solo. If you thought Pozzovivo’s flat was ill-timed, Fuglsang’s was disastrously-timed. There were eleven riders left in the pink jersey group.

Climb over, can't catch him now anymore. #Giro pic.twitter.com/JWIk17uR4f

— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) October 13, 2020

Sagan had a 30-second lead with 5-km to go. He held fast to take his first triumph since July 2019, coming closer to the Arnaud Démare’s points.

Wednesday’s profile is similar but milder. Could Démare win his fourth stage?

2020 Giro d’Italia Stage 9
1) Peter Sagan (Slovakia/Bora-Hansgrohe) 4:01:16
2) Brandon McNulty (USA/UAE-Emirates) +0:19
3) João Almeida (Portugal/Deceuninck-Quick Step) +0:23
124) Alex Cataford (Canada/Israel Start-up Nation) +20:51

2020 Giro d’Italia GC
1) João Almeida (Portugal/Deceuninck-Quick Step) 39:38:05
2) Wilco Kelderman (The Netherlands/Sunweb) +0:34
3) Pello Bilbao (Spain/Bahrain-McLaren) +0:43
4) Domenico Pozzovivo (Italy/NTT) +0:57
5) Vincenzo Nibali (Italy/Trek-Segafredo) +1:01
6) Patrick Konrad (Austria/Bora-Hansgrohe) +1:15
7) Jai Hindley (Australia/Sunweb) +1:19
8) Rafal Majka (Poland/Bora-Hansgrohe) +1:21
9) Fausto Masnada (Italy/Deceuninck-Quick Step +1:36
10) Hermann Pernsteiner (Austria/Bahrain-McLaren) +1:52
106) Alex Cataford (Canada/Israel Start-up Nation) +1:38:22