The mysterious virus that affects the Volta platoon

The cyclists of the Volta, as has happened before in Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico, the other two rounds of World Tour stages held so far in Europe, have run plagued by a virus, which has nothing to do with covid-19, since all the PCR and antigen tests have been negative. This new cycling epidemic has caused more than 60 casualties in the French event and another thirty between Italy and Catalonia.

La Volta, without going any further, has suffered the abandonment due to the virus of some of the most important figures who had signed up for the race such as Tom Dumoulinwinner of the 2017 Giro and second in 2018, just as he did in the Tour; Simon Yachtsthe winner of the 2019 Vuelta; Richie Porterwho wore the bib number and was third in the 2020 Tour and Michal Kwiatkowskiworld champion in 2014.

“The virus presents itself with a clinical picture of general malaise and respiratory problems, which forces runners to put their foot down,” say the medical sources consulted. There is no team that has been spared from this cycling epidemic. But the curious thing is that only affects runnerssince sporting directors, masseurs, mechanics and marketing, public relations and press personnel of the teams have been spared the virus.

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For example, the Movistar team lost the veteran in the Volta Jose Joaquin Rojas, who presented a medical picture with the symptoms described. “We did the tests for the coronavirus and it was negative,” he explains. Paul Lastras, director of Movistar, at the start of the fifth stage of the Catalan round, in La Pobla de Segur. “The surprising thing,” he adds Joseph Louis Jaimerena, another of the technicians of the telephone squad – is that it does not affect us. Possibly, what happens is that the runners have been putting on the mask for almost two years everywhere and with the effort they make, and that the other members of the team do not do, the virus attacks them with greater virulence.

“It would not make any sense to link this epidemic with doping issues -says another Spanish doctor consulted– Firstly, because doping substances have never given respiratory problems and secondly because, in the event that someone bets on these practices, it is absurd to think that everyone would do the same in any team”.

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It should also be excluded that the origin could be related to vitamin supplements since each team uses the brand that sponsors them and there is a variety of manufacturers spread throughout the peloton.

So what? Team doctors are asked. “We have no idea,” a Spanish doctor from a top-level squad was honest. The only thing we can think of is that, precisely because of the fear of covidwhen a runner feels symptoms similar to the pandemic, they opt to abandon out of fear and before they endured more on the bike.

The theories are varied if you ask among the team coaches at the Volta starts and, sometimes, the answers given by runners or assistants are the most absurd. Precisely, this epidemic has prevented there from being a greater number of stars in the Catalan round, as several figures were in a recovery period after being affected by the virus during Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico.

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