Tao Geoghegan Hart has been forced to withdraw from the Volta a Catalunya before Tuesday's second stage after falling ill with digestive issues.
The Briton was leading Lidl-Trek at the week-long stage race, heading up a team including Quinn Simmons, Juan Pedro López, and Lennard Kämna – who is back racing for the first time in a year.
However, the team announced on Tuesday morning that Geoghegan Hart wouldn't start stage 2.
"Following digestive troubles during stage 1 of Volta a Catalunya, Tao Geoghegan Hart will not be starting today’s second stage. Get well soon Tao!" Lidl-Trek announced on social media.
Geoghegan Hart started his 2025 campaign in Portugal at the Figueira Champions Classic and the Volta ao Algarve, finishing ninth at the latter. Earlier this month he took on the Faun-Ardèche Classic and Faun Drome Classic before heading to Catalunya this week.
He's set to target the Tour de France this summer, with his provisional schedule leading up to the race including April's Tour de Romandie and the Critérium du Dauphiné in June.
Writing in an Instagram post, Geoghegan Hart said that he had spent a large portion of Monday's opening stage vomiting, adding that he hadn't been able to eat since the finish.
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"Gutted to be out of Volta Catalunya before it had even really begun," Geoghegan Hart wrote. "I spent much of the stage yesterday throwing up anything I tried to eat, and after not being able to get any fuel in the tank since the finish yesterday, I won’t be lining up at the start today.
"It was a week I was super looking forward to and had trained all through the winter toward. For now, I can only thank the Lidl-Trek staff & riders for the support and look forward to getting healthy and racing again.
"Here we are on the ups and downs of the road."
The Volta a Catalunya continues with an expected sprint stage on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the race's first mountain stage over the Coll de la Crueta and La Molina on Wednesday. Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease A Bike) leads the race after winning stage 1 in Sant Feliu de Guíxols.
Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor, later being hired full-time. Her favourite races include Strade Bianche, the Tour de France Femmes, Paris-Roubaix, and Tro-Bro Léon.
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