The team announced that rider Beulah Hansgrohe (open in new tab), who tested positive for COVID-19 (open in new tab) on Tuesday morning, has now tested negative for the virus.

Beulah Hansgrohe was forced to withdraw from the Bretagne Classic - Ouest-France (open in new tab) following Tuesday's test results. All team players and staff, including an unnamed player, subsequently tested negative.

This news follows a similar scenario in which Astana's Hugo Houle (open in new tab) and U23 cyclocross world champion Inge van der Heijden (open in new tab) were tested positive and negative for PCR last week.

"The rider was retested during the day and tested negative (as did the six-day test)," a press release issued by Bora Hansgrohe stated.

"All other riders and staff were also immediately retested and the results were all negative. It is reasonable to conclude that this was a false positive."

The press release also stated.

Following this news, Bora-Hansgrohe team manager Ralf Denk questioned the UCI's testing strategy and raised the idea that the COVID-19 test follows the method used in anti-doping testing, with A and B samples to confirm the test results He raised the idea that it might be possible to confirm the test results with A and B samples.

"It seems my concerns are confirmed," Denk said. 'PCR tests have a certain probability of error and have been known to produce false-positive results. This in itself is not a problem, as long as there is the possibility of immediately confirming the result if a positive test is obtained.

"This is precisely why the anti-doping rules provide for an A Sample and a B Sample: if the A Sample is positive, the result is matched with the B. Under the UCI's current testing strategy, this verification does not exist. Anti-Doping laboratories are also accredited, and certain standards are set and checked. That would be one approach."

The possibility that athletes could be quarantined due to false positives and thus forced to miss a major race is problematic, especially considering that the Tour de France is just a few days away. The Tour's organizer, ASO, recently confirmed (open in new tab) that teams must withdraw from the race if two positives are found.

Beulah Hansgrohe is the first team to miss a World Tour race after testing positive for COVID-19. Israel Startup Nation withdrew several riders from the Vuelta a Burgos (open in new tab) because they were in contact with teammate Itamar Einhorn, who tested positive. All players subsequently tested negative.

"We're talking about athletes who have been preparing for the race for weeks and months and may not be able to compete due to a false positive," Denk said.

"Today we had to pull our entire team out of the Word Tour race. Points are important, of course, but so is presence in the media, in other words, advertising value based on sponsor commitment. Today, we did not get these benefits.

"Of course, the health of all involved should and must always be a priority, but the lack of consideration for all other aspects is still frustrating. I think adjustments need to be made as soon as possible."

"Certainty is also needed with regard to inspection procedures and strategies. If this is not there, we will soon have serious problems. Because who would want to invest in a lottery game as a serious enterprise?"

In addition to the cases of Beulah Hansgrohe, Israel Startup Nation, Houle, and van der Heiden, several players have gone viral since the season resumed. Last week, Larry Walbas (open in new tab) (AG2R La Mondiale) tested positive and his teammate Sylvain Dillier (open in new tab) tested positive before Strade Bianche and missed the Italian race as a result.

Leonardo Basso of Team Ineos tested positive over the weekend and the team has withdrawn from Sunday's Italian Championship road race (open in new tab).