The 105th Giro d'Italia will continue without Joao Almeida, who finished fourth overall. The Portuguese rider tested positive for coronavirus and had to abandon the race. This was confirmed by Team UAE.
Before the 18th stage, Almeida was 1:54 minutes behind the overall leader Richard Carapaz from Ecuador. However, the 23-year-old is regarded as a strong time trialist and would probably still have had a chance of finishing on the podium in the final battle against the clock in Verona on Sunday. Almeida's withdrawal means that Emanuel Buchmann has moved up from eighth to seventh place in the classification.
Almeida had developed flu symptoms overnight and tested positive in a rapid test, UAE announced. All other tests of drivers and team members were negative. Like all other UAE drivers, Almeida had a single room.
Thursday's 18th stage from Borgo Valsugana to Treviso is the last chance for the sprinters. On the 156-kilometre stage, there are only just over 1000 metres of climbing to conquer, and the last 50 kilometres are even downhill.
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