Geoffrey Bouchard and Vegard Stake Laengen leave Tour de France following positive Covid tests

Updated 09/07/2022 at 11:17 GMT

AG2R Citreon rider Geoffrey Bouchard and Vegard Stake Laengen, of UAE Team Emirates, have tested positive for Covid-19 and subsequently left the 2022 Tour de France. They are the fifth and sixth riders to Stream the Tour de France live and on-demand on discovery+. You can also watch all the action live on eurosport.co.uk

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Geoffrey Bouchard (AG2R Citreon) and Vegard Staek Laengen (UAE Team Emirates) have left the 2022 Tour de France after testing positive for Covid-19 following Friday’s Stage 7.

Bouchard said he had not been feeling well during the stage and returned a positive antigen test at the team hotel following the stage to La Super Planche des Belles Filles.

Bouchard - who won the mountains classification at the 2019 Vuleta a Espana and in last year's Giro d'Italia - was immediately isolated from the rest of the riders and staff before leaving the race.

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"During the stage, I did not feel well," Bouchard said in a statement released by the team.

"It's a huge disappointment because we were just getting to my favourite terrain, the mountains.

“It was my first Tour de France and it’s sad to end it like this. I wish my team-mates a lot of success and I send them all my strength for the rest of the Tour de France."

Laengen initially showed symptoms on Friday evening before having a confirmed positive with a PCR test on Saturday morning ahead of Stage 8.

"Vegard tested negative yesterday morning during the routine internal team testing protocol," UAE Team Emirates' doctor Adriano Rotunno said.

"But he reported sore throat symptoms late last night. The Covid-19 antigen test was positive, and the diagnosis was confirmed on PCR test this morning.

"As per protocol, for his, the team, and the peloton’s safety, he will be withdrawn from the race."

Bouchard and Laengen are the latest departures from the race, following Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious), Daniel Oss (TotalEnergies) and Michael Gogl (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who crashed out on the cobbled Stage 5, as well as Alex Kirsch (Trek-Segafredo), who left the race on Stage 6.