Alé BTC Ljubljana pull out of Gent-Wevelgem after COVID-19 positive test
Women's WorldTour team enters quarantine in accordance with Belgian health authorities
Alé BTC Ljubljana announced on Saturday that they will not participate at Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday after they were notified of a positive test for COVID-19 within the team.
"Riders and staff in the team bubble underwent a double test before Gent-Wevelgem and, although the team complied with all the protocols and the expected safety bubble, the laboratory that carried out the tests today informed us of the presence of positivity," said the team's doctor, Claudio Sprenger.
"For this reason, we immediately implemented the protocol dictated by the Union Cycliste Internationale and, also according to the laws enforced in Belgium, the whole team has entered into quarantine. In agreement with the technical staff, we have decided not to take part in the race scheduled for tomorrow in Belgium."
This is the second COVID-19 case among the Women's WorldTour this week, after CCC-Liv were forced to pull out of Brabantse Pijl on Wednesday due to a positive COVID-19 coronavirus test within the team.
Alé BTC Ljubljana were registered to compete in Gent-Wevelgem with former winner Marta Bastianelli, along with Maaike Boogaard, Eugenia Bujak, Mavi Garcia, Tatiana Guderzo and Eri Yonamine.
The team also competed at the mid-week Brabantse Pijl where Garcia placed ninth and Anastasiia Chursina was 16th, Yonamine was 29th, Bastianelli finished 30th, Bujack was 38th and Boogaard did not finish the race.
The team are next scheduled to compete at the Tour of Flanders on October 18 and AG Driedaagse Brugge-De Panne on October 20.
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Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.