Il Giro d’Italia 2023 is overwhelmed by shocking news at the end of the first week: Remco Evenepoel has decided to leave the Corsa Rosa. The Belgian champion, who today won the individual time trial in Cesena returning to wear the pink jersey, announced that he will have to abandon the three-week stage race due to testing positive for Covid-19. The World Champion, the great favorite to win the Trofeo Senza Fine, will therefore pack up and leave the caravan before the rest day scheduled for tomorrow: we won’t see him at the restart in a couple of days.
Remco Evenepoel provided the statement through a press release, also circulated on his social profiles: “With great regret I have to announce that I will withdraw from the Giro d’Italia due to a positive Covid-19 found at the end of a routine test. My experience here was really special and I was looking forward to racing for another two weeks. I can’t thank the staff and athletes enough who sacrificed so much in preparation for the Giro d’Italia. I am very proud to leave with two stage wins and four pink jerseys. A thousand thanks“.
Remco Evenepoel led the general classification 45 seconds ahead of the Briton Geraint Thomas. Now the Ineos Grenadiers captain becomes the new pink jersey with a 2” margin over the Slovenian Primoz Roglic and 5” over his compatriot Tao Geoghegan Hart. On paper these are the three favorite men for the final triumph, but the Portuguese Joao Almeida (at 22”), the Russian Aleksandr Vlasov (at 1’03”) and our Damiano Caruso (at 1’28) are also in the fight “).
Photo: Lapresse