Peter Sagan has abandoned the Tour de Suisse ahead of the final time trial in Vaduz after he tested positive for COVID-19 following Saturday’s penultimate stage. The three-time world champion was previously sidelined by COVID-19 in February 2021 and again at the beginning of this year.
“Yesterday, Saturday, after the finish of @tds stage 7, I was given a COVID-19 test by the @TeamTotalEnrg doctor,” Sagan wrote on Twitter. “Unfortunately, it came out positive. I have no symptoms, and I feel well but I have to abandon the race. I thank you for your support and I will keep you posted.”
It remains to be seen if Sagan’s latest coronavirus case will have an impact on his participation in the Tour de France, where he is seeking to add to his running tally of seven victories in the points classification.
Sagan’s Classics campaign was ruined by illness, but he looked to be back on track when he sprinted to victory on stage 3 of the Tour de Suisse. That win was his first in the colours of TotalEnergies following his transfer from Bora-Hansgrohe last winter.
The Tour de Suisse peloton has been hit by a cluster of coronavirus cases this week. Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) was forced out of the race while wearing the yellow jersey, while four teams withdrew en masse: Alpecin-Fenix, Bahrain Victorious, UAE Team Emirates and Jumbo-Visma.
