Tour, Friday the start: Zeeman, ds of Roglic and Vingegaard, positive for Covid

From our correspondent Ciro Scognamiglio

June 29
– Milan

Tour de France, minus 2. For the first time the French race, now in its 109th edition, starts from Denmark and will do so on Friday afternoon with a 13.2 km time trial which is an opportunity for Filippo Ganna, in his debut, to take the first yellow jersey. Meanwhile, the specter of the resurgence of Covid continues to lighten the race and this morning the news is that Merijn Zeeman, director of Jumbo-Visma of Roglic and Vingegaard, will not reach the team – at least in this first phase – because it is positive for Covid. The Slovenian and the Danish in the predictions are the two main challengers of Tadej Pogacar, the Slovenian of the UAE-Emirates who is hunting for the consecutive trio after the successes of 2020 and 2021.

The challenger

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Roglic, on Wednesday morning, was among the first of the big names to speak – via videoconference – with the press. And about the challenge in Pogacar he said: “We are all doing our best. We have many individual qualities. Together we will have to do our best. Yes, we are convinced that we can beat him as a team.” And about Covid the Slovenian, Olympic champion of the time trial and 3 times winner of the Vuelta, said: “I’m not afraid of the virus, but everything is possible. We try to carefully follow all the rules and regulations. This is all we can do. Either way it’s out of our control. I feel healthy and feel good. So I try not to worry too much about it. “