Ballan withdraws from Tirreno-Adriatico

World Champion Alessandro Ballan withdrew from Tirreno-Adriatico before stage five. Ballan and the Lampre-NGC staff decided he should withdraw since he was still suffering from a virus that he caught last weekend.

"During the race, I've been tired and could not rest properly," said Ballan. "I prefer to train in a quiet way and to have the necessary rest time. It would have been great to realize good performances in Tirreno-Adriatico.

"I'm sorry to quit the race, but I think it's the best solution in view of Milano-Sanremo and the Northern Classics."

Ballan had plans to do light training on Sunday morning before heading home.

See Cyclingnews' full coverage of stage five of the Tirreno-Adriatico.

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*

Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets

After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Join now for unlimited access

Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1