Ahead of the eighth stage of the Giro d'Italia, the most notable person in the Giovinazzo mixed zone was not a rider or a manager, but a doctor. On Saturday morning, Mitchelton Scott confirmed that Simon Yates had withdrawn from the Giro due to a positive COVID-19 test, and team doctor Matteo Bertemacchi visited the media area to explain the sequence of events Friday night that led to the British rider's withdrawal.

After successfully completing stage 7 Brindisi in the main bunch, Yates complained of a mild headache. His temperature, which is checked three times daily in the Giro, measured 37.4 degrees Celsius. As a precaution, Bertemacchi ordered a rapid test for COVID-19. The test came back positive, so Yates underwent a PCR test. His giro was over.

"He hadn't complained of any symptoms since the start of the Giro, so I did the test just in case," Bertemacchi said.

"Right after the stage he complained of a slight headache and his temperature was 37.4...thanks to the RCS this test works very well...thanks to the RCS this test works very well...I just want to make sure that the rider is safe. I just tried to put the rider in a state where he could say, 'It's safe, don't worry. ' In the end, the bad news was that he tested positive."

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Instead of heading to Vieste on Saturday afternoon, Yates was taken by ambulance near the Michelton Scott service track in Gavirate, near Varese, where he was quarantined.

"Simon will be quarantined near our service course. Now, thanks to the RCS again, he is being taken there by ambulance," Bertemacchi said.

The rest of the Mitchelton-Scott riders and staff all tested negative. In the Tour de France, teams were ruled out if two or more riders or staff members tested positive within seven days. Because of Yates' positive test and the crash injuries to Brent Bookwalter and Eduardo Affini, Mitchelton-Scott was left with only five riders for this Giro.

"All riders and staff have already been tested yesterday and they were all negative. None of the riders have any symptoms. Bertemacchi added: "Even if it wasn't an easy situation, they are going into the race with a lot of confidence. I am confident that our internal bubble was perfect."

Asked why Yates tested positive while others on this Mitchelton-Scott team tested negative, Bertemacchi replied: "If you look at the way this virus works, some people are more susceptible to infection and others will test negative even if a close relative is positive. The infectivity of this virus is unusual. As a team, we are confident that we bubbled in the best way possible and that RCS worked hard to ensure this bubbling and did things perfectly."[17

Bertemacchi added that it is difficult to tell that Yates was infected with COVID-19 from the Giro bubble. He had tested negative before the race start in Monreale last weekend, as had other participants.

"It's very hard to say because the bubble is really ironclad. 'I think you can control everything, but not 100%. In the bubble everyone is tested, but when you go to the hotel, not everyone there is tested.

Yates won Tirreno-Adriatico last month and arrived in the Giro as one of the leading contenders, but he lost a place on Mount Etna on Monday and showed signs of struggling two days later at Valico di Monte Scuro. He was in 21st place overall, 3:52 behind Maria Rosa of Joao Almeida (Deceuninck-Quickstep).

Bertemacchi said, "I think it will be a big blow later. Right now he still doesn't understand what happened. Even though the test came back positive, he is happy to be in good shape. The team has responded well and he is happy that his teammates can continue to race. Most of all, he is happy that he has not infected anyone and that everyone else tested negative"

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