Alberto Contador will not take part in Critérium International this weekend, citing flu. In a statement on its website on Wednesday, his Saxo-Tinkoff team said that Contador had picked up the illness while racing in trying conditions at Tirreno-Adriatico and the GP Nobili in Italy last week.
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“Severe weather suffered in these races with cold and rain most of the days have affected the health of the Saxo-Tinkoff leader,” read the statement. “Alberto Contador, along with Bjarne Riis and team doctors have decided that the best thing to do right now is to recover quietly to resume training as soon as possible.”
It is expected that Contador will return to action at the Tour of the Basque Country, which gets underway on April 1. The Spaniard has been a consistent performer in 2013 to date as he builds towards the Tour de France. He claimed stage victory atop Mirador del Sol the Tour de San Luis in January, and he has also finished 2nd overall at the Tour of Oman and 3rd at Tirreno-Adriatico.
Thomas Dekker (Garmin-Sharp) has also revealed that he will miss Critérium International because of flu. The Dutchman plans to return to action at the Circuit de la Sarthe (April 2-5).