Thymen Arensman has been forced to leave the Vuelta a España due to a positive COVID-19 test. His team, INEOS Grenadiers, announced this in a post on X. The Dutchman had been struggling in the race for a while, and now it has become clear why. In the opening time trial, Arensman did reasonably well, finishing in 23rd place. However, as the mountain stages approached, things got progressively worse for the 24-year-old rider, who at one point suffered from heatstroke.
It was already known that Arensman doesn't handle extreme temperatures particularly well, and during the first week of the Vuelta, temperatures frequently rose to 40 degrees Celsius. As a result, Arensman lost a lot of time day after day.
In addition, Arensman also had to contend with coronavirus-related symptoms, and after the positive test, it was (understandably) decided to pull him out of the race. "We wish you a speedy recovery, Thymen," his team wrote in the message.
Not everyone who tests positive for COVID-19 is immediately pulled out of the race. For example, UAE Team Emirates' rising talent Isaac del Toro remained in the Vuelta a España despite a positive test.