Bradley Wiggins abandons Tour of Britain with stomach bug
The Tour de France champ will concentrate on his preparation for the world championships
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LONDON (AFP) — Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins will miss the rest of the Tour of Britain after being forced to pull out of Friday’s sixth stage with an illness.
Wiggins, who won the Tour de France in July and the Olympic time trial last month, was absent from the start line as stage six, from Welshpool to Caerphilly, got under way.
“Unfortunately, Bradley Wiggins was unable to start stage 6 of the Tour of Britain today after picking up a stomach bug,” Team Sky announced via Twitter.
The 32-year-old was 41st overall after stage 5, 12 minutes and three seconds behind race leader Leigh Howard (Orica-GreenEdge).
“I’m sorry to have to pull out of the Tour,” Wiggins said. “I’ve loved the last six days, meeting so many people around the country and enjoying those crowds along the roads.
“It’s been a great experience, but this bug sadly means I’ll now miss the climax this weekend.
“I’m sorry I can’t continue and would like to thank all those fans, of all ages, for the support. Those fans have really inspired us this week and this summer.”
Wiggins will concentrate on recovering to take his place in Great Britain’s team for the road world championships, which take place in Holland next week. He was on Friday named to the nine-man team for the September 23 road race.