More than two and a half years after the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the virus continues to disrupt the professional cycling world, with the Vuelta a España 2022 becoming the latest major race to suffer a decline in rider numbers.

After only 11 days of racing in the Spanish Grand Tour, the attrition rate due to COVID-19 is an alarming 23 riders.

This number does not include riders who were scheduled to start the race but withdrew and were replaced at the last minute.

It took four stages before the first positive case was discovered, but since Dan Houle (Trek-Segafredo) left the race on August 24, there has been no shortage of abandonments.

Relatively minor riders were affected for a few days, but major riders have also left the race in recent days. Two stage winners, Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe), returned home on August 30 before the time trial on stage 10, which opened the second week, and the following day, Simon Yates (BikeExchange-Jayco) and Pavel Sivakov (Ineos Grenadiers), two two overall podium contenders, went home.

Yates, who won the Vuelta in 2018 and was fifth overall after 10 stages, will leave his second Grand Tour with COVID-19 after the 2020 Giro. His departure is a blow to the team as it struggles to avoid relegation from the World Tour.

With 23 riders crashing in 11 stages, this Vuelta was one of the most chaotic races since the pandemic began. A total of 17 riders left this year's Tour de France race with COVID-19.

Abandonment rates were high in the past couple of Grand Tours because of the rule that an entire team had to abandon the race if multiple positive tests were found, but this has not been the case since this rule was abolished.

In the spring, particularly Tirreno-Adriatico and Paris-Nice, and in the early summer Tour de Suisse, only 76 riders completed the race.

A total of 184 riders started the Vuelta a España, and it is unknown how many will make it to Madrid or if there will be any abandonments that will affect the final result.