Pidcock out of Tour de France with Covid

Tom Pidcock is set to compete in the road race and mountan biking at Paris 2024

Britain's Tom Pidcock is out of the Tour de France after testing positive for Covid-19.

The 24-year-old, who narrowly missed out on a second Tour stage win when he finished second on stage nine, did not start Saturday's stage 14.

Pidcock is set to defend his Olympic mountain bike title on 29 July and also compete in the road race on 3 August.

His Ineos Grenadiers team said: "A disappointed Tom Pidcock will not line up for stage 14 of the Tour de France today.

"Tom is experiencing symptoms of Covid-19 and under advice from our medical team will now return home to recover."

Pidcock is the third rider to withdraw from this year's Tour because of Covid after Juan Ayuso, team-mate of race leader Tadej Pogacar, and Michael Morkov, Mark Cavendish's lead-out man.

Pidcock's team-mate Geraint Thomas said before the start of Saturday's stage that his fellow Briton was "not great" and added that he had tested positive himself, although the 2018 champion will continue to race for now.

"For a start it's a big, big shame to lose Tom but he felt bad this morning and it's between him and the doctor, and that's what they decided to do," said Thomas.

"For me, I'm also not great. I've tested positive but I've just got mild symptoms and the docs are monitoring me closely and they've got their protocols when it comes to respiratory conditions.

"At the minute it's just a bit of a headache and a runny nose, so we'll just see how it goes."

Teams cautious about 'big four' - analysis

Matt Warwick, BBC Sport senior journalist

A few significant names now gone from the race with Covid. Pogacar’s domestique Juan Ayuso, Mark Cavendish’s top lead-out man Michael Morkov, and Pidcock.

And during Saturday's stage 14 Louis Vervaeke, team-mate of Soudal-Quick Step's Remco Evenepoel, also abandoned with Covid.

Britain's Fred Wright and Spaniard Pello Bilbao abandoned for Bahrain-Victorious with unspecified illnesses, but Covid protocols have been activated within the team.

Others have also left because of illness. The yellow jersey himself had Covid 10 days before the race, so could be OK. All eyes will be on the remaining two of the 'big four', Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard.

Evenepoel had to leave last year's Giro d'Italia with Covid, while Vingegaard suffered serious lung injuries in April, so their teams will be cautious.

One of cycling's three-week Grand Tours is yet to be completely ruined by multiple Covid-19 positives - although Evenepoel looked a likely winner in Italy last year - but it's still a possibility thanks to the Petri-dish that is the peloton.