Bahrain Victorious will enter the Bretagne Classic (France) with a five-person team after a positive case of Covid-19 was confirmed. According to the team, the positive patient had been in close contact with other staff members. Initially, the team planned to withdraw from the race altogether, but on Friday evening the team confirmed that it would take part in the one-day race.

The Bretagne Classic - Ouest-France team will consist of seven riders, but Eros Capecchi, Scott Davis, Kevin Inkelaar, Raphael Valls, and Stephen Williams will form the Bahrain Victorias team. The team did not confirm which riders or staff were affected.

"Without a leader, we will be racing with five riders. It is not easy to race at this level with so few members, but we will work hard to put on a good race. The two main protagonists will be Capecchi and Williams. The course is tough. We don't have sprinters, but as I mentioned, we will do our best while giving them the freedom to do what they do best," said Alberto Volpi, the team's sporting director.

Williams, 25, recently rode the Vuelta a Burgos, while Capecchi rode the Tour de Pollogne earlier this month. Both players' contracts expire at the end of this season, and Bahrain Victorious has yet to announce that either of them will remain with the team next season.

The Bretagne Classic - Ouest-France is a 251km race that starts and finishes in Plouay. A strong lineup is expected, including world champion Julien Alaphilippe, Tour de France winner Taddei Pogacar, Jai Hindley, and David Gaudou.

Like many WorldTour teams, Bahrain Victorious currently has a double or triple race program with a group of riders operating in the Vuelta a España and elsewhere in Europe.

Under the UCI's COVID-19 protocol, there is no penalty for not competing due to an intra-team case.