Multiple cyclists, especially from the Lotto-Intermarché team, have fallen ill in recent days after competing in the Famenne Ardenne Classic in Belgium on Sunday, with cow feces suspected as the source of the infection.
According to reports, the Lotto team points to contamination from the abundant cow manure and dung present along the route of the race through agricultural areas, compounded by the wet asphalt. The suspected cause is a Campylobacter infection, a bacterium that causes gastroenteritis, though final confirmation is pending.
Several teams have been affected, including Alpecin, Flanders-Baloise, and Roubaix-VanRysel, alongside Lotto. French rider Maxime Bouet of Team Arkea reportedly said, “Half the peloton is sick.”
In the hardest-hit Lotto team, Belgian riders Liam Slock and Milan Menten, as well as Luxembourg’s Mathieu Kockelmann, experienced abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, and vomiting starting Monday night. The three were briefly hospitalized, the team confirmed from Bulgaria, where the Giro d’Italia begins on Friday.
Belgian Arnaud De Lie, winner of the Famenne Ardenne Classic and expected to lead the team in the Giro, initially had no symptoms but suffered nausea during Tuesday’s flight to Bulgaria. “He doesn’t feel well, but his participation in the Giro is not at risk for now,” his team stated.
Only five of the eight riders from this team slated for the Giro 2026 were able to step onto the stage during Wednesday’s race presentation. Slock was even declared a last-minute withdrawal and will be replaced by British rider Joshua Giddings.
