Cycling: Australian Durbridge out of Tour with COVID, says team

Australian Luke Durbridge is out of the Tour de France after testing positive for COVID-19, his Bike Exchange-Jayco team said on Tuesday. “Unfortunately Luke Durbridge has tested positive for COVID-19 this morning. Durbridge has very mild symptoms & will not start today’s stage 10,” the Australian outfit said in a statement.

Durbridge is the fourth rider to leave the race with a positive COVID-19 test since the start of the race on July 1. All riders had been tested on Sunday night and all tests had returned negative.

Last year, if two members of a team tested positive for COVID the whole outfit would be sent packing, which is not the case in this edition. Whether a rider who tests positive can stay in the race is decided following a meeting between the race, International Cycling Union (UCI), and team doctors, depending on the rider’s viral load.