Tao Geoghegan Hart and Giulio Ciccone have been hit by COVID-19 and flu, forcing them to miss vital training in the final weeks before the Tour de France.
The Briton and Italian are part of a multi-faceted Lidl-Trek team that also includes Mads Pedersen but their illness could now impact their hopes and ambitions at the Tour de France.
Ciccone missed the Giro d’Italia after a serious saddle sore and surgery forced him off the bike for much of the spring. He won the polka-dot mountains jersey at the 2023 Tour de France and was expected to target stage victories this year.
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He impressed at the Critérium du Dauphiné but then fell ill on his return home.
“It was not a return home as I hoped,” Ciccone wrote on social media on Monday. “The flu got me and I haven't trained since Friday. I hope to get better soon and recover in time for the Italian national championships.”
Geoghegan Hart moved to Lidl-Trek for 2024 after his recovery from a complex femur fracture at the 2023 Giro d’Italia. The Tour de France was supposed to be a test of his Grand Tour ability after making gradual build-up via a series of stage races. However, he was hit from behind in the mass Dauphiné crash on stage 5 and eventually abandoned the French race before stage 7.
He returned to his home in Andorra and was looking forward to the simple things in life, such as making his own meals as he recovered and trained for the Tour de France. However, he tested positive for COVID-19 and revealed he was ‘super sick’ last week.
“I always say I miss buying fresh groceries and cooking. Even the simple decision of actually choosing what to have for lunch and dinner. This week has seen plenty of time for that, with zero bike riding and five days of Covid positive,” Geoghegan Hart revealed on social media, posting photographs of his meals.
“I thought those days were long gone but unfortunately I’ve been super sick. Take care everyone. And make sure you eat all the colours of the rainbow.”
Lidl-Trek has still to confirm its final Tour de France squad and ambitions but riders are expected to travel for the Grand Depart next Tuesday. The 2024 Tour de France starts on Saturday, June 29 with a hilly road stage from Florence to Rimini.
