No Pietermaritzburg World Cup for Kulhavy

Instead of flying to Pietermaritzburg, South Africa for round one of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Olympic Champion Jaroslav Kulhavy (Specialized Racing) was home in bed with the flu on Monday.

Kulhavy came down with the flu on Sunday after racing the Velká Bíte - Brno road race on Saturday.

"Even while racing on Saturday, I was not feeling too well, and I was cold," said Kulhavy on his website. "On Sunday, then came the fever and the intestinal problems. I have therefore decided, after consultation with the team, to pass on the first World Cup."

"My actual form after a long break, combined with my condition due to the flu, meant I would probably not have had a good race. I would prefer to get everything together for the second round in Australia."

Kulhavy is just coming back to training and racing after fracturing his kneecap.

Round 2 of the World CUp will happen in Cairns later this month.

"Although I now feel a little better, I do not feel I can get on a plane in this situation and travel to Africa," he said.

In Saturday's 138km road race in the Czech Republic, Kulhavy finished with the main field.

"The race was a bit of a shock. I wasn't doing anything extra in the race, but in in the end, when we rode up the hill, I lacked strength."

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