Chris Froome out of Tirreno-Adriatico with illness
Chris Froome forced to withdraw his name from Tirreno-Adriatico start list due to chest infection

Chris Froome, 2015 Ruta del Sol

Chris Froome (Sky) will not start Tirreno-Adriatico on Wednesday after not recovering sufficiently from a recent illness.
The 2013 Tour de France champion confirmed his non-attendance via Twitter on Monday morning, and the team later confirmed he was suffering with a chest infection.
"This is obviously frustrating after the good start that I've had to the season, but it's a minor setback," said Froome via a team statement. "I've been ill for a few days now and unfortunately I couldn't shake it off in time for the race.
"After speaking with the doctors we decided as a precaution that it would be best to take a few days off the bike to recover fully."
Froome is aiming to return to racing at the Volta a Catalunya, March 23-29.
Froome was due to lead Team Sky at the prestigious Italian stage race as part of his build-up towards this year's Tour de France. He would have started the race as one of the favourites for the overall victory having won Ruta del Sol against Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) at the end of February.
Team Sky's revised line-up for Tirreno-Adriatico is Vasil Kiryienka, Leopold König, Mikel Nieve, Wout Poels, Salvatore Puccio, Ian Stannard, Elia Viviani and Kanstantsin Siutsou. No replacement for Froome has yet been announced, but it would seem likely that König or Nieve will take up leadership duties.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Tirreno-Adriatico runs from March 11-17 and includes a star-studded list of starters, even without the presence of Froome: Contador, Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and Rogoberto Uran (Etixx-QuickStep) will all be vying for the win.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
-
3D printed saddles made just for you—does your rear require one? A review of Posedla’s Joyseat 2.0
Custom down to the name imprinted in the saddle. Posedla makes an impressively well-designed, high-quality product. But is it worth the price tag?
-
'I'm not even sure my coaches know my limits' - British cycling sensation Matthew Brennan wins again
Teenager claims third WorldTour victory of the season and takes leader's jersey at Tour de Romandie
-
'We've talked to literally hundreds of brands' - Ineos Grenadiers CEO gives update on sponsor hunt
Team boss John Allert says there have been 'fabulous rumours' about new partners
-
'A stage win in the Tour de France really changed my profile': Steve Cummings on working as a chef, idolising Michele Bartoli, and playing football like Trent Alexander-Arnold
Jayco-AlUla Sports Director discusses his most significant career victory and how he got into cycling
-
Tom Pidcock to remain 'part of the Pinarello family' after joining Q36.5 Pro Cycling
British star will continue to ride Pinarello bikes after leaving Ineos Grenadiers
-
Ineos Grenadiers hire new head of engineering as reshuffle continues
Former British Cycling lead, Dr Billy Fitton, is the latest of a handful of new appointments within the British squad
-
Overachiever: Cameron Wurf competed in the Amstel Gold, La Flèche Wallonne and an Ironman, all in just eight days
Cameron Wurf is both a member of Team Ineos Grenadiers and an accomplished professional long course triathlete who has racked up numerous World Tour and Ironman race finishes across his career.
-
Another year, another annoying choice between Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico
The two premier stage races clashing is a continued bane for all fans of cycling, and points to a bloated sport
-
Bullying isn't allowed in other workplaces, professional sport should be no different
Comments about Julian Alaphilippe are just the latest in a long line of examples of bosses in sport going too far
-
‘I feel lucky to be alive’: Magnus Sheffield speaks for the first time about Gino Mäder’s fatal crash
The American describes what he saw at the Tour de Suisse, eight months after the tragedy