LOURDES, July 21 — Four-time champion Chris Froome was one of three riders to drop out of the Tour de France after testing positive for Covid ahead of Thursday’s 18th stage from Lourdes to the High Pyrenees.

Spain’s Imanol Erviti of Movistar and Italian Damiano Caruso of Bahrain Victorious also withdrew.

"Tests taken just before today’s start showed that Chris has Covid,” Froome’s Israel Premier-Tech team said.

Froome has never shown the same form as before his terrible accident at the 2019 Criterium de Dauphine.

But the veteran was digging deep on the 2022 Tour and was 26th in the overall classification around an hour off the overall lead. — AFP