The Lotto-Intermarché team during the 2026 Giro d’Italia presentation
The build-up to the 2026 Giro d’Italia has taken an unexpected turn. The team presentation was far less crowded than anticipated, with several riders missing due to an apparent outbreak of food poisoning that seems to have originated from the Famenne Ardenne Classic.
The Lotto-Intermarché squad was the first to raise the alarm, showing up with only five of their eight riders. Most notably, team leader Arnaud de Lie was absent. His potential withdrawal would be a major setback for the Belgian team just hours before the Grande Partenza. According to Sporza, several Lotto-Intermarché riders fell ill on Monday evening, suffering from abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, and vomiting.
The worst affected were Liam Slock, Milan Menten, and Mathieu Kockelmann. Slock has already been forced to withdraw from this year’s Giro. De Lie’s case appears less severe; his absence from the presentation was a precautionary measure, and the team confirmed that “his participation in the Giro is not in danger at the moment.”
The source of the viral outbreak that has shaken Lotto-Intermarché before the 2026 Giro d’Italia seems to be cow manure on the road during last Sunday’s Famenne Ardenne Classic. Because the race was held in wet conditions, some riders were splashed with manure, which is believed to have caused the infection.
Lotto-Intermarché is the hardest hit among the peloton, but it is not the only team dealing with the effects of this outbreak. The suspected culprit is Campylobacter, a bacterium commonly found in animal intestines. Other teams that competed in the Famenne Ardenne Classic, such as Flanders-Baloise, VolkerWessels, and Van Rysel-Roubaix, have also reported cases of infection.
