Jumbo Bisma reinstates Hofstede after COVID-19 vaccine refusal

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Jumbo Bisma reinstates Hofstede after COVID-19 vaccine refusal

The Jumbo-Visma team has decided to allow Dutch rider Leonard Hofstede to start the season after excluding him from training camps and competitions due to his refusal to be vaccinated with COVID-19.

The 27-year-old Hofstede last raced with the team in October 2021, completing the Vuelta a EspaƱa before finishing the season in Croatia. After the Omicron variant caused a major spike, Hofstede was not invited to the team's camp in Girona in December or in Alicante in January.

According to Wielerfritz, the team did not want to take the risk of using unvaccinated players, but manager Merijn Zeeman said the pandemic situation had changed since the beginning of the year.

"There were national regulations and UCI rules. 'We didn't want to take risks back then. We had a straightforward medical policy when it came to vaccinations. That was before Omicron. We always had good contact with Leonard and his management team, and there was always an understanding on both sides. We have stated that we would meet again as soon as the situation improves. Now is the time.

In January, the UCI updated its COVID-19 protocol for the 2022 season, which did not mandate vaccination per se, but did require either vaccination with one of the approved injections or a negative PCR test 48 hours before a one-day race or stage race shorter than 7 days It mandated that the test be negative for longer stage races, with or without vaccination. However, vaccination was required for entry into certain countries, such as France.

Despite this requirement, many COVID-19 positives hit the propeloton, and Jumbo-Visma broke up its January camp early, along with Team DSM and BikeExchange-Jayco, which tested positive for COVID-19, and Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and were forced to withdraw from Comunitat Valenciana.

Hofstede is scheduled to start the Classic Brugge-Des Pins on March 23, but Zeman said he could be used early because he is "dealing with a lot of injuries and a corona infection." 'We have quite a few positives after the stage races. We faced that after Valencia and the Algarve. Fortunately, we managed to get through the UAE Tour and the opening weekend in Flanders.

"In contrast to previous years, we can see that the bubble within the peloton is no longer functioning. Infections during bike races have become more common.

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