Tour de France Maillot Vert Thor Hushovd has decided to delay the start of his season due to illness, and will consequently not line out in the Etoile de Besseges tomorrow.
The Cervélo Test Team rider will take a further two weeks before he pins on his first racing number of 2010, deciding that it is better to give his body a chance to recover from a cold.
He will instead get things underway in the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal, running from February 17th to 21st.
“Of course it is annoying that I should skip the season’s first race,” he said in a statement. “But I am thinking long-term and I don’t want to take a chance on running myself down with an illness in my body so early in the season. There are many important races to come. Now I have the opportunity to prepare well for the Volta ao Algarve, in just over two weeks.”
The Cervélo Test Team lineup for the Etoile de Besseges now comprises João Correia, Stefan Denifl, Ted King, Brett Lancaster, Daniel Lloyd, Oscar Pujol, Dominique Rollin and Marcel Wyss.
Hushovd will resume full training from his base in Monaco on Monday.
He has laid out three big targets for 2010, namely success in Paris-Roubaix, the defence of his Tour de France green jersey and the world road race championships in Australia.
Given that the latter is a full eight months away, avoiding fatigue is important and so showing prudence at this point of the year is a wise move.
However it could well affect his chances of repeating his win in the Omploop Het Nieuwsblad. That will take place on February 27th, meaning that he will have just one race in his legs before the Belgian semi-Classic.