Three Lotto–Intermarche riders suffered from abdominal pain, diarrhoea, fever and vomiting, and were briefly hospitalised, the team said from Bulgaria,
where the Giro begins on Saturday NZT.

Arnaud De Lie, the winner of the Famenne Ardenne Classic on Sunday who is expected to be the Belgian team’s leader at the Giro, initially showed no symptoms before feeling nauseous during the flight to Bulgaria.

“He’s not feeling well, but his participation in the Giro is not compromised at this stage,” the team said of De Lie. Only five of Lotto’s eight riders were able to attend the race presentation on Wednesday.

According to Belgian broadcaster Sporza, other teams such as Alpecin have also been affected, while French rider Maxime Bouet, quoted by his team Arkea, said that “half the peloton is ill”.