No farewell Tour de France for retiring Bahrain Victorious climber as viral infection claims another rider
CyclingThursday, 25 June 2026 at 21:07
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Follow us on GoogleBahrain Victorious will not be able to count on Pello Bilbao in the Tour de France. The 36-year-old Spaniard was set to ride his very last Tour de France, as he is retiring from professional cycling after this season. However, a viral infection he contracted during the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes has thrown a wrench in his plans.
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The Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, formerly the Critérium du Dauphiné, has turned out to be quite a damaging race in retrospect. The French stage race was rife with serious crashes, with Oscar Onley (after falling into a ravine) among the major casualties. He will miss the Tour de France.
Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) also took a hard fall and did not finish the race. At Onley’s Netcompany INEOS team, there are also concerns about Kévin Vauquelin, who fell ill after the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
Iván Romeo, in turn, had already been ruled out by his Movistar team, also due to a severe case of the flu. Of the 154 riders, only 91 ultimately finished the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Bilbao did make it to the finish in Nice, but fell ill after the race.
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Bilbao has only the Vuelta a España left as a Grand Tour option
It indicates that, of the 91 finishers in France, a handful of riders also fell ill. Bilbao was so badly affected that he lost too much of his fitness to compete well in the Tour de France. “He didn’t recover in time to be selected.”
"Pello will now take a short break before he begins his preparation for his goals later this season," said Bahrain Victorious. Bilbao is expected to compete in the Vuelta a España, which will be his very last Grand Tour.
The veteran has competed in seventeen Grand Tours so far in his career. In the Giro d'Italia, he finished fifth twice and sixth once. He also won two stages there. In the 2023 Tour de France, he also finished sixth and won a stage. He hasn’t competed in the Vuelta since 2018.
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David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- - Slightly thin on details tbh. Which segment of the TT did he crash on—technical corner or exposed straight? Wind gusts? Would help understand if it was rider error or conditions.samanthak25-06-2026
- - Marc Reef’s spot on: Affini’s diesel power keeps the GC train out of trouble. You could see it last year on crosswind days—he reads the echelons early and moves Jonas up before it all kicks off. Fingers crossed for a quick recovery.gearguru3325-06-2026
- - How serious are we talking with the injuries? The piece mentions ambulance and conscious, but no specifics. Concussion protocol could rule him out even if nothing’s broken, right?julien25-06-2026
- - Brutal news about Affini. He’s been a cornerstone of Visma’s TTT-style leadouts and late-stage positioning. If he’s out, that’s a massive hit to Vinge’s corridor on the flats.raceready725-06-2026
- - Up the Bini express! Green dreams aren’t crazy this year if he banks intermediate points and nails 1–2 flat stages. 👊raceready725-06-2026
- - I’m a bit confused: if there are only three non-sprinters, who helps on medium mountain days? Is Bennett solo there? Seems thin.lindae25-06-2026
- - “Full-fledged sprint train on the tracks”—finally. Tom Van Asbroeck as early pilot is underrated. He threads through chaos so well.davidm25-06-2026
- - Desculpa, pero ¿por qué un TTT al inicio? Eso puede romper el tren si hay caída. Aún así, fuerza Bini!gearguru3325-06-2026
- - Love Bini’s mindset. He’s matured loads since 2022, better at staying healthy through week two. If they survive the Spanish start, watch out in Agen and whatever flat finish pops later week one.tourdeforce925-06-2026
- - The article kinda glosses over positioning—who’s calling the shots in the last 3km? Bewley from the car or Stewart on the road? That can decide the whole stage.robert6525-06-2026
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