Arnaud De Lie was able to train with his Lotto-Intermarché teammates on Thursday morning but has endured a tough Giro d'Italia Grande Partenza. A suspected cow dung infection forced him to miss the team presentation and sparked concerns about contaminations in the peloton.
Only five Lotto-Intermarché riders took part in the Giro team presentation on Wednesday evening in Burgas, with De Lie too sick to attend. Other riders were still travelling to Bulgaria, with the virus delaying Milan Menten's travel and Britain's Josh Giddings a last-minute call-up to replace Liam Slock, who was deemed too sick to start the Corsa Rosa.
“Like many others, Arnaud fell ill after the Famenne Ardennes Classic. Some riders even ended up in the hospital. Arnaud is here in Bulgaria, but was not at the presentation. We hope he starts feeling better heading into the start on Friday,” Lotto-Intermarché Sports Director Maxime Bouet told CyclingPro.net.
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According to a number of reports in Belgium and information from other team staff, the illness was presumably caused by cow manure that was washed on the road during the rain-soaked Famenne Ardenne Classic.
De Lie won the Belgian one-day race but felt ill as he prepared to fly to Bulgaria for the Giro Grande Partenza. Slock and Menten also soon suffered from gastrointestinal problems.
The combination of rain and cow dung, that was sprayed into the peloton by rider's wheels and then ingested, is believed to have sparked a campylobacter infection. Symptoms usually appear two to five days after exposure and can last up to a week. They include severe diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever, nausea and vomiting.
Sporza reported that riders from the Flanders-Baloise, VolkerWessels, and Van Rysel-Roubaix teams who raced the Famenne Ardenne Classic had also been hit by the virus.
"Half the peloton has fallen ill," a team told Sporza.
De Lie is a favourite for the expected sprint finish in Burgas on Friday. However it remains to be seen if he has fully recovered from the virus.
"We chose to let Arnaud stay at the hotel because he is still feeling a bit under the weather. Intestinal issues, diarrhea, vomiting…" Buet explained.
"We don’t want to infect the other teams; that was important to us as well. Health is our absolute priority. We have to stay positive no matter what. Arnaud is not the only one on our team. There are eight of us here, and they can all compete for a stage win."
Lotto-Intermarché have Lennert Van Eetvelt for hilly stages, with European cyclocross champion Toon Aerts making his Grand Tour debut at the Giro d'Italia.
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