Hushovd out of Olympics

Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) (Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)

Norwegian rider Thor Hushovd will not be heading to Beijing to contest the Olympic road race. The winner of stage two of the Tour de France cited illness as his reason to skip the Games.

"It is very annoying and very unpleasant, but I have to take care of my health," the 30-year-old told the Norwegian news agency NTB.

"It's better to give somebody else a chance, when the body isn't functioning properly. It's really irritating. I've thought about it a lot. The Olympics were a major goal for me this year," he said. Hushovd skipped his national championships after becoming ill, and then started the Tour de France in spite of not getting better. He won stage two, but then got sick again before the race hit the Alps, and had to take antibiotics, according to Alpenposten.

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Hushovd also faces the dissolution of his Crédit Agricole team, which announced Friday that it had not been able to secure a replacement sponsor.

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Laura Weislo is a Cyclingnews veteran of 20 years. Having joined in 2006, Laura extensively covered the Operacion Puerto doping scandal, the years-long conflict between the UCI and the Tour de France organisers ASO over the creation of the WorldTour, and the downfall of Lance Armstrong and his lifetime ban for doping. As Managing Editor, Laura coordinates coverage for North American events and global news.