Ruth Winder out of Liège-Bastogne-Liège after close contact with COVID-19 case

BERG NETHERLANDS APRIL 18 Ruth Winder of United States and Team Trek Segafredo during the 7th Amstel Gold Race 2021 Womens Elite a 1163km race from Valkenburg to Berg en Terblijt Breakaway Amstelgoldrace amstelgoldrace UCIWWT on April 18 2021 in Berg Netherlands Photo by Luc ClaessenGetty Images
(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Ruth Winder has been forced to miss Liège-Bastogne-Liège after coming into close contact with an individual who recently tested positive for COVID-19. The Trek Segafredo rider and US national road champion was removed ahead of the race on Sunday morning, despite testing negative for the virus. The rest of the Trek Segafredo team, including the men's squad, were all cleared to race.

"Unfortunately Ruth Winder will not be starting Liège-Bastogne-Liège as she has been deemed a close contact of someone outside of the team bubble who has since tested positive for Coronavirus," the team announced on Twitter Sunday morning.

"Ruth has returned three negative tests but, in line with our protocol, she has been withdrawn from the race and put into isolation. The rest of our women’s and men's team, as well as all team staff, also all returned negative tests."

Daniel Benson

Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.