Kasper Asgreen will no longer be starting his season at the Tour de la Provence, with the rider out of the QuickStep-AlphaVinyl squad for the race, which starts on Thursday February 10, after delivering a positive test for COVID-19.
Asgreen was set to line up alongside World Champion Julian Alaphilippe, Davide Ballerini, Dries Devenyns, Pieter Serry, as well as new signings Ilan Van Wilder and Louis Vervaeke.
“Unfortunately @k_asgreen [Kasper Asgreen] will not begin his season at the Tour de la Provence anymore, after he tested positive for Covid-19,” said QuickStep AlphaVinyl on Twitter. “As a result, the team will start the race with six riders.”
“Everybody at Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl wishes Kasper a fast recovery!”
The Dane is far from the first rider to have his race plans disrupted due to a COVID-19 test positive this season, with Jumbo-Visma, Team DSM, and Team BikeExchange all pulling out of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, while Movistar had two of their riders leave the race, after positive COVID-19 tests.
Asgreen, who won the Tour of Flanders in 2021, had planned to begin his build-up to the Classics at the Tour de la Provence. He was among the riders the team were looking to for a strong result during the 7.1 kilometre opening time trial, along with Van Wilder and perhaps Alaphilippe. Asgreen came fifth in the time trial in 2019, which was the last time the event opened with a race against the clock.
At last year’s event Alaphilippe came second overall behind Iván Sosa, then racing for Ineos Grenadiers. The French rider, who is making his race debut for the season at Tour de la Provence, shifted up to the second step in 2021 after taking enough seconds in time bonuses during the final sprinters stage to shift ahead of Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers). Ballerini also swept up the first two stages for the team last year and took out the sprinters jersey.
QuickStep-AlphaVinyl, with its team of six, will this year be facing up to a course that shifts beyond the prologue into stages for the sprinters and puncheurs before finishing with a tough, climb heavy final stage where the overall contenders will have ample opportunity to deliver decisive time gaps. That final day on Sunday February 13 includes 3,251m of total ascent and ends on the long climb of the Montagne de Lure, which delivers 17km with an average gradient of six per cent.
Sosa will this year be lining up with a new team, Movistar, as defending champion while 2020 winner Nairo Quintana (Arkéa-Samsic) will also be starting his season at the race.
