Cycling news - Bora-Hansgrohe and Trek-Segafredo excluded from Gent-Wevelgem, fire alters course
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Updated 28/03/2021 at 13:05 GMT
German World Tour team Bora-Hansgrohe have been excluded from the Gent-Wevelgem race in Belgium as a result of the country's coronavirus restrictions. A positive test for Matt Walls has led to staff and riders from the team going into quarantine for seven days which means they are unable to be included in the event.
Matt Walls
Image credit: Getty Images
Bora-Hansgrohe have been kept out of the Gent-Wevelgem race due to coronavirus restrictions in Belgium.
The German team had also been excluded from the E3 Saxo Bank Classic on Friday as a result of Matt Walls’ positive coronavirus test result.
They had planned to take part in the Gent-Wevelgem event as the rest of the staff and riders had returned a negative test.
However, Flanders Classics chief CEO Thomas Van Den Spiegel explained that they would not be able to compete.
"There’s the fact that 17 people from Bora have been marked as high-risk contacts," he said.
"Once they’re quarantined, there’s not much we can do. Yesterday we informed ourselves in detail about their situation.
"This morning there was no other option for us than to inform them that they were not allowed to take the start."
Bora-Hansgrohe team manager Ralph Denk hit out at the decision from the E3 Saxo Bank Classic doctor that had put “two-thirds of the team” into a seven-day quarantine.
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"I am very disappointed and angry," Denk explained.
"A GP from the region can block an entire team in one of the largest one-day races in the world. We had a positive corona case with Walls and have the roommate and a physio as category one contact persons. That they have to be isolated and quarantined is absolutely clear.
"However, we of course have other riders and staff on site, so a part of them were also ordered to be in quarantine, but only some of them. Who was selected and the reasons are completely unclear and it seems rather arbitrary.
Honestly, I can't understand why other teams are allowed to race after similar cases. We tried everything last night, but the doctor didn't even answer us anymore. It would be nice to at least understand how he has justified his decisions.
"We are testing every day at the moment and all the tests so far have been negative, without exception. The part of the team that has been quarantined will be quarantined until 1 April. This also means that we cannot start at Dwars Door Vlaanderen."
On Twitter, Van Den Spiegel defended the decision to say that the rules are not ones for the organisers to ignore, saying: "We do not have the authority to overrule an ongoing quarantine. It is also not up to an organiser like ourselves to judge whether the quarantine is fair or not."
Bora-Hansgrohe are not the only team to have suffered as a result of coronavirus restrictions. Trek-Segafredo missed the chance for Mads Pedersen to defend his title after two positive tests within their team.
“The Team has decided to withdraw from Gent-Wevelgem whilst we do further testing before we can safely return to competition," they said in a statement.
Flanders Classics were also forced to alter the route of the course after a fire in Menen. The route was scheduled to pass through Menen in the last 5km, but instead will take a detour before finishing as planned.
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