COVID-19 positives continue to hit Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates at Tour de France

UAE Team Emirates manager Joxean Fernández Matxin has become the latest member of Tadej Pogačar’s supporting team to leave the Tour de France after testing positive for COVID-19.

Pogačar had already lost teammates George Bennett and Vegard Stake Laengen to positive tests for COVID-19 earlier in the race. Rafal Majka also tested positive for the coronavirus, but the Pole’s low viral load meant that he was deemed non-contagious and thus allowed to remain in the race.

Majka was Pogačar’s last supporting rider on the Col du Granon on stage 11, but his efforts couldn’t prevent the Slovenian from losing the yellow jersey and dropping to third overall, 2:22 behind new leader Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma).

In the aftermath of Wednesday’s stage, manager Matxin tested positive for COVID-19 in an internal control carried out by the team. The Spaniard announced the news and his departure from the Tour via social media on Thursday.

“Now I am the one who has to say goodbye to the main objective of the year.  Last night I tested positive for COVID-19 in the internal control carried out by the team itself,” Matxin wrote, adding that he was “believing and supporting the boys and the whole team to death, there is still a lot of Tour left.”

Pogačar still has five teammates by his side at this Tour in Marc Soler, Brandon McNulty, Mikkel Bjerg, Marc Hirschi and Majka, but the Slovenian was significantly outnumbered by Vingegaard’s Jumbo-Visma squad on the Galibier and the Col du Granon on stage 11.