Louder to miss Worlds road race due to flu

Jeff Louder (BMC) driving the pace on the front of the break.

Jeff Louder (BMC) driving the pace on the front of the break. (Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)

Jeff Louder (BMC Racing Team) has withdrawn from the US team for Sunday's world championship road race in Mendrisio, Switzerland. The 31-year-old Utah native is suffering from an illness which has cautiously been diagnosed as the H1N1 flu virus, his team announced on Tuesday.

"I haven't been feeling well and saw Dr. Testa on Monday," said Louder. "Based on my condition and symptoms he diagnosed H1N1 and advised against training, racing and travelling.

"This pretty much puts an end to my season. I am not on my death bed but am definitely not in a way that would do the race, myself or the team any good. I'm pretty bummed. All I can do is recover and rest for next season I guess."

Louder had won this year's Redlands Classic, finished third at the both the Tour of Utah and the US national road championships and was gearing up for the second elite world championship of his career.

Louder's replacement for Sunday's road race has not yet been named.

Follow Cyclingnews on Twitter for the very latest coverage of events taking place in the cycling world - twitter.com/cyclingnewsfeed

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