Mark Cavendish lead-out man Michael Mørkøv leaves Tour de France after testing positive for COVID-19

Michael Mørkøv, Astana-Qazaqstan’s lead out expert and key lieutenant to Mark Cavendish, has abandoned the Tour de France ahead of stage 12 after testing positive for COVID-19.

The Danish rider doesn’t have what Astana Qazaqstan described as ‘essential symptoms’ but the team’s medical staff  took the decision to pull Mørkøv from the race ‘to protect his health from long-term effects the virus could provoke in the future.’