The Soudal-QuickStep team has been further diminished at the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Giro d'Italia, with just two riders entꦺering the final week after the withdrawal of Davide Ballerini.
The Italian did not ⛎start stage 16 on Tuesd♋ay morning, with his team citing 'illness' as the reason.
Ballerini is the sixth QuickStep rider to make an early exit from the 2023 Giro, with team leader and pre-race favourite 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Remco Evenepoel the first to go after testing positive for COVID-19 just after his victory in the stage 9 time tr♔ial.
Just one stage later, they were down to three, as no fewer than 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:four riders pulled ꦉout ahead of stage 11 after also contractingꦡ COVID-19: Louis Vervaeke, Josef Cerny, Jan Hirt, and Mattꦐia Cattaneo.
The three remaining riders made it through the second week but no🃏w Ballerini leaves the team with just two for the final week: Ilan Van Wilder and Pieter Serry.
Van Wilder, who was Evenepoel's right-hand man, ൩sits 16th overall, while Serry has already shown ambitions to get in the breakaway on ღstage 16.
Ballerini was one of thre🐽e non-starters on Tuesday's 🔥big mountain stage that finishes on Monte Bondone.
168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Simon Clarke (Israel-Premier Tech), who came close to a breakaway stag꧅e win earlier 🐻in the race, also left through illness.
&ldqu𝄹o;I’ve been battling some sickness for a few days and it’s not getting any better," he said. "Together with the team we have decܫided that I stop now and go home to recover."
The other non-starter was Trek-Segafredo's Amanuel Ghebreigzabhi⛄er, who crashed on stage 14 and has been suffering pain in his ribs.
Th♛e Giro peloton is down to 129 riders, losing 47 since the 176 🎐riders started out just over a fortnight ago.
