Talansky will skip Tour due to poor spring and "personal issue"

American Andrew Talansky will not ride in the upcoming Tour de France, his Cannondale team said in a release. Instead, Talansky will focus on the Vuelta a España.

Talansky, 27, recently finished fifth at the Tour de Suisse after riding as high as second in the general classification. In the release, Talansky cited bad health during the spring, as well as an unnamed “family crisis” for his decision to skip the Tour.

“It was not always the plan to skip the Tour,” Talansky said. “I had a very personal issue — you could call it a family crisis — in February, shortly after arriving to Europe. It was a very traumatic and difficult few weeks, and it basically meant that for three weeks the bike was the last thing I was thinking about. Family always comes first.”

Talansky suffered through a forgettable spring, which saw him crash at Paris-Nice and then fall ill. Over the next few weeks, Cannondale’s medical staff performed a sinus scan, which showed blockage and chronic inflammation, he said. He also went on an antibiotic cycle in April, which left him unable to race or train at his highest level. During that time, Talansky said, he decided to target the Vuelta a España instead of the Tour de France.

Talansky rebounded from the bad spring at the Amgen Tour of California, where he finished fourth overall. He followed up that performance with a strong ride at the Tour de Suisse. Despite the result, Talansky said, he decided to maintain his focus on the Vuelta.

“While I was able to race well in Suisse, I was still not at my best – I was lacking the foundation that a solid spring of racing and training provide,” Talansky said.

Team owner Jonathan Vaughters said Talansky is still not at his best, and said the rider has hit “a bump” in his career. The team, however, has re-signed Talansky. Details of the contract were not available.

“Rather than rush him into the Tour based on the Suisse result, it’s best to allow him to target the Vuelta and ride for the podium there now that his sinus issues have cleared up,” Vaughters said. “The Vuelta always gets a few extra contenders from the Tour de France fallout, but we know Andrew can do well in Spain.”

Cannondale has not announced its Tour de France roster, but Talansky’s absence will likely shift the team’s general classification hopes onto Frenchman Pierre Rolland. Rolland also struggled to grab results in the spring, but appears to be coming into form for the Tour de France. He finished 15th at the Tour of Romandie in May and recently finished 10th at the Criterium du Dauphine.