More knee trouble for Boogerd

Michael Boogerd's knee problems which forced him to retire from the Volta a Catalunya last week after the third stage, have been diagnosed as periostitis, an inflammation of the membrane that covers the bone on the outside of the joint.

The Dutch champion has been plagued by the same problem before. "It is an injury that won't just disappear," Rabobank directeur sportif Erik Breukink told Sportwereld.

Boogerd, who is retiring at the end of this season, has been told that he must rest for four days, after which his Rabobank team will re-evalute the injury and make a further decision regarding whether or not he can begin training again.