The women’s CCC-Liv team did not start the Brabantse Pijl Dames race on Wednesday morning due to a COVID-19 test being confirmed as positive after the team had already gathered for the race.
Marianne Vos, Valerie Demey, Marta Jaskulska, Jeanne Korevaar, Evy Kuijpers and Pauliena Rooijakkers had all traveled to Belgium to participate in the Brabant Arrow.
The riders and staff in the team bubble had all undergone a pre-race COVID-19 test and were declared negative and given the green light to race only for the lab to later confirm a positive case.
It is unclear if the team will now have to self-isolate after a possible close contact with a COVID-19 case and so miss Sunday’s Gent-Wevelgem and other races.
“All riders and staff members in the team bubble were double tested prior to the Brabantse Pijl. The results from both tests were all negative. We shared this information with the UCI in good time as prescribed by the UCI,” CCC-Liv team doctor Tessa Backhuijs said in a statement.
“In the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, however, when the riders and staff were already in the team bubble which was intended to be safe, we were alerted by a test lab that one of the test results turned out to be positive after all.
“We then took our responsibility on Wednesday morning and decided to keep the entire team out of the race.”
