Danilo Di Luca sick, hoping for better days

By Tim Maloney, European Editor in Strasbourg

Cyclingnews caught up with Liquigas-Bianchi's star Danilo Di Luca, one of the most articulate and friendly Italian riders in the peloton. 2005 ProTour champ Di Luca was not his usual self Sunday as he started the 93rd Tour under the hot weather, suffering all day at the back of the peloton and ending up last man on Stage 1, 2'29 behind the pack at the finish in Strasbourg.

"On Thursday night, I had a 40 degree fever and it turned out that I had an inflammation in my prostate," a disheartened Di Luca said. " he team doctor gave me a lot of antibiotics so I could start the Tour. Now the fever is gone and I can sit on the saddle, but it's a real shame. I was in fantastic form and was really looking forward to having a good Tour, but now it's hard to say how long I can last. I'll just take it day by day now."