Ivan Basso undergoes successful cancer surgery

Tinkoff-Saxo rider Ivan Basso will be released from hospital in Milan on Thursday after undergoing successful surgery to remove his left testicle.

The two-time Giro d'Italia winner abandoned the Tour de France on the rest day on Monday after scans in Pau revealed the presence of a testicular tumour.

Basso travelled immediately to Milan for surgery to remove the testicle, with surgery reportedly carried out by Professor Francesco Montorsi at Hospital San Raffaele in the northern Italian city.

The rider's partner, Micaela Beretti, posted a picture of the Basso smiling in his hospital bed on Wednesday afternoon.

Basso felt discomfort after crashing on stage five and got it checked out when the team reached Pau on Monday, revealing the presence of a tumour.

Steven de Jongh, sports director of Tinkoff-Saxo commented on Monday: “As everybody understands, today is not a day to speak about the Tour de France, the days ahead or Alberto’s main rivals on the mount stages.

“All that is irrelevant and we are all here solely to support Ivan. The entire team hopes to meet him again in Paris and hand him the yellow jersey.”

Check out Alberto Contador's 2015 Tour de France bike