Time loss of the prodigy explained: After Almeida, UAE-Team Emirates suffers a new COVID-19 victim in the Vuelta...
Cycling
Isaac Del Toro is riding around in the Vuelta a España while dealing with a coronavirus infection, as reported by ESPN. The 20-year-old Mexican is making his grand tour debut, but after a promising start, he dropped in the standings on day nine. Now the reason for this has become clear...
Del Toro was well on his way to the top ten in the first week, but things went terribly wrong for the UAE-Team Emirates prodigy over the weekend. On Saturday, he managed to limit the damage, but on Sunday, Del Toro finished in the back, more than 35 minutes behind the winner. As a result, he plummeted to 39th place in the standings, on the day Adam Yates made gains for the overall classification with a stage win.
It seems the cards are being reshuffled every day at the UAE-Team Emirates headquarters. João Almeida seemed to be the best man in the first week, especially after Yates lost minutes due to a crash. However, Almeida did not start on day nine due to a coronavirus infection, something that is spreading within the team. Despite this, Yates is still in seventh place in the standings, and Pavel Sivakov is also well placed in eleventh.
Read more below the photo.
Corona contamination blocks major breakthrough Isaac Del Toro
Del Toro showed some improvement the day after the first rest day, as he finished with the group of favorites. However, it will likely take some time before he is back to his old self. It is reported that he has mild coronavirus symptoms, allowing him to continue racing. Del Toro is predicted to have a bright future with his team, having won the Tour de l'Avenir last year, and this season he finished third in the Tour Down Under, fourth in the Tirreno-Adriatico, and won the overall in Burgos. It's no wonder he has a contract with Tadej Pogacar's team until the end of 2029.
Nevertheless, the team is still being plagued by COVID-19. In the Tour de France, it was Juan Ayuso who dropped out due to the virus, with Yates and Tim Wellens also being ill. Pogacar contracted the virus before the Tour, giving him immunity. The big question is whether more UAE riders will test positive for the coronavirus, which is clearly still spreading in 2024. Laurens De Plus already quit the race in stage 10 after testing positive.
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Latest Comments
- Well explained, thanks for the clarity! Daniel DantasDanieldantas20-12-2024
- This is the kind of 'news' that belongs in a cheap tabloid. No matter how boring the offseason gets, nobody wants to read this.
santiagobenites19-12-2024 - I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024 - hahahaha love this shit! I didnt even watched the race, but reading all the gossip articles of how stupid this is!Zatoichi19-11-2024
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024