COVID-19 delays Arnaud Démare's start to 2023 season

KIELCE POLAND JULY 29 Arnaud Demare of France and Team Groupama FDJ during the 79th Tour de Pologne 2022 Team Presentation TdP22 WorldTour on July 29 2022 in Kielce Poland Photo by Bas CzerwinskiGetty Images
(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Arnaud Démare has been forced to make a further delay to the start of his season after he contracted COVID-19 ahead of the Volta ao Algarve.

The Frenchman had initially been scheduled to make his 2023 debut at the Tour of Antalya last week, but the race was cancelled in the aftermath of the catastrophic earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan was Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.