Giro d'Italia's race leader Remco Evenepoel has been forced to withdraw from the competition after testing positive for Covid-19.

The 23-year-old Belgian cyclist, Evenepoel, reclaimed the coveted pink jersey after triumphing in stage nine individual time trial, narrowly defeating Geraint Thomas by a one-second margin.

👉 Evenepoel wins Stage 9 of the Giro d'Italia

Now in the lead, Britain's Thomas will commence stage 10 on Tuesday with a two-second advantage over Primoz Roglic.

Soudal Quick-Step reported that Evenepoel's positive result emerged following a routine test after the stage.

In a statement, pre-race favorite Evenepoel expressed his disappointment: "It's with a heavy heart that I have to announce that I will be leaving the Giro d'Italia due to Covid-19. My experience here has been really special and I was looking forward to competing over the next two weeks. I can't thank enough the staff and the riders who sacrificed so much in preparation for the Giro. Still very proud to leave with two stage wins and four pink jerseys."

Evenepoel initially won the time trial in stage one but lost the lead during stage four, only to recapture the pink jersey from Andreas Leknessund after his second-stage victory.

Despite his success, Evenepoel admitted that he struggled with the challenging weather conditions in the form of wind and rain, acknowledging that "it wasn't a top performance."

He completed the 35km course in 41 minutes and 24 seconds, narrowly defeating Thomas at the finish line in Cesena.

Thomas' Ineos Grenadiers teammate and previous winner, Tao Geoghegan Hart, placed third, trailing Evenepoel by just two seconds.

As a result, Welsh cyclist Thomas surpassed Slovenia's Roglic in the overall standings, who finished the stage in sixth place.

Geoghegan Hart, the 2020 Giro d'Italia champion, will begin stage 10 in third place, only five seconds behind Thomas.

The race will pause for a rest day on Monday before resuming with a challenging 196km route from Scandiano to Viareggio.