Vincent Jerome will have to miss the first part of the 2010 season. The Bbox Bouygues Telecom rider has been hospitalised with a staphylococcus infection.
According to L'Equipe, his many crashes this season led to the problem, a skin infection caused by a bacteria. The 25-year-old will have to rest for several weeks and thus will have to start the season late.
The French rider, who is in his fourth season with the team, rode a full season from the Tour Down Under to the Vuelta a Espana. He did not have any wins on the year, but finished sixth in the Clasica de Almeria and ninth in the Tour de Wallonie.