Movistar dealt major Tour de Flance blow as Spanish champion withdraws

Movistar suffered a major setback on Wednesday evening. The Spanish team will have to compete in the Tour de France without Iván Romeo. The Spanish champion is still recovering from the flu, Movistar reported via X. The Tour de France roster thus loses a pure attacker.

The young rider from Valladolid was in such great form this year. In the spring, he had already claimed a stage win and the overall victory in the Ruta del Sol, though he did suffer a crash in Paris-Nice shortly after. After a month away from racing, he returned to action at O Gran Camiño, where he immediately struck again. After winning a stage on day 3, he finished fifth in the overall standings there.

After a disappointing doubleheader at the Flèche Wallonne and Liège, Romeo headed to France for the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The Spaniard was unable to make an impact there, and on day five, he was marked as a DNS. It turned out he was sick.

And that illness is now preventing him from competing in the Tour de France for a second time. “Iván Romeo will not start in the Tour de France or in the Spanish National Championships. The Valladolid native is still recovering from the bout of the flu that forced him to withdraw from the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and has affected his preparation in recent weeks," his team, Movistar, reported Wednesday evening.

The matter was still being discussed internally. “After discussing the situation with the team, we decided to prioritize a full recovery period so that we can approach the final phase of the season with confidence,” the Spanish team said, already looking ahead to what lies beyond July.

"Good luck, Iván. You'll be back soon and stronger than ever," Movistar reassures its rider with words of encouragement. Hopefully this means we will see the Spanish champion in full attacking mode at the Vuelta in September.