The reigning time trial world champion, Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers), has tested positive for COVID-19, the Italian cycling federation, Federciclismo, confirmed on Thursday evening, and has returned home to self-quarantine from a national track team training camp in Montichiari, Lombardy.
The Italian squad was in Lombardy to prepare for the 2020 UEC Track European Championships, which will be held at the Kolodruma velodrome in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, from November 11-15.
Ganna had apparently tested negative for the coronavirus in routine testing undergone by all members of the camp on Tuesday evening, according to Italian news agency ANSA on Thursday. However, after showing signs of "mild discomfort" on Wednesday, Ganna confined himself to his single hotel room for the rest of the day, and underwent another test on Thursday, which came back positive, the Italian federation said.
"All the swabs made to the other members of the national team were negative," ANSA reported Federciclismo as saying. "Further checks will be carried out over the next few days, right up until the day before the team's departure to the European Championships on Sunday."
Twenty-four-year-old Ganna's last road event was the Giro d'Italia, in October, which was won by Ineos teammate Tao Geoghegan Hart. Ganna won all three of the Italian Grand Tour's individual time trials, as well as taking a solo road-stage victory on the hilly fifth from Mileto to Camigliatello Silano.
It capped a highly successful 2020 season since the restart following the coronavirus shutdown, with Ganna also having taken the Italian time trial title in August, followed by a TT stage win at Tirreno-Adriatico in September and his world TT title at the end of the month.
