No farewell Tour de France for retiring Bahrain Victorious climber as viral infection claims another rider
Cycling
Follow IDL Pro Cycling on Google
Stay up to date with the best cycling news by making us a preferred source on Google.
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
Read also
Continue reading below the photo
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.
Read also
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.
IDL-productions
Celia Gery won the European cyclocross championship while awaiting surgery: 'It'll be a new beginning'
Dutch team coach De Knegt annoyed by European Cyclocross Championships dispute: "A bit of a let down"
Glasgow set to shine as World Cup demand outstrips expectations and Mason eyes first home cyclocross race
Pogačar, Vingegaard and Van Aert went faster again in 2026... except when they didn't
Team GB dominate, China on the rise, Lavreysen the best ever? Five takeaways from the 2026 Track World Championships
Latest Cycling News
Red Bull's Giulio Pellizzari was shocked by his critics in 2026 : 'Even former pros questioned my abilities'
Seixas looks even more likely to skip the 2027 Tour de France; target a surprising race: 'I'd love to try my luck'
Schreiber slams disrespectful European cyclocross championship judges: 'They didn’t even let me finish speaking'
Celia Gery won the European cyclocross championship while awaiting surgery: 'It'll be a new beginning'
Tadej Pogačar's former helper becomes the second Belgian on Movistar's roster:
Popular Cycling News
Sven Nys spoke with Lucinda Brand straight after European Championship drama: 'Is that enough to ultimately relegate someone'
Fears of serious injury to Alvarado, bronze medalist, after the European Cyclocross Championships
Disqualified Schreiber skips European Championship podium: 'I’m very grateful that she said that'
2026 European Cyclocross Championships Results | France and Belgium dominate in the Dutch mud
UCI referee who relegated Schreiber at European Championships also played a key role in Wiebes' Giro d'Italia disqualification
Latest Comments
- What a mess. The report makes it sound as though nobody properly explained the decision, and that’s hard to defend.jennifer1910-11-2026
- I’m still learning the rules: does moving left in a sprint automatically bring a penalty, or does it depend on whether the other rider is blocked? It sounds like Brand wasn’t impeded here.patriciaw10-11-2026
- A final decision still needs a proper explanation. If the federation’s complaint goes nowhere, I hope the officials at least review how they handled the riders afterwards.michael5410-11-2026
- Fair play to Lucinda for saying Marie had won fair and square. That kind of sportsmanship matters, especially after such a controversial decision.raceready710-11-2026
- Schreiber beat Brand on the road, so the jury needed to explain clearly why that slight deviation warranted relegation. Being cut off before she could give her account sounds appalling.lindae10-11-2026
- Is the Giro the race that happens before the Tour? And does winning the mountains jersey mean Carapaz scored the most points on climbs? Which race was everyone’s favourite?bikebuffj05-11-2026
- How did Mathieu van der Poel miss the list? His classics results surely put him in the conversation.sprocketspiny05-11-2026
- McNulty deserves more credit than his ranking suggests. A world title and all that work as a domestique make for a superb season.tourdeforce905-11-2026
- Seixas winning Lombardia at 20 is astonishing. The “next Pogačar” label feels a bit premature, though—let him build his own story before piling on the comparisons.andrewf05-11-2026
- Pogačar’s palmarès is ridiculous, but Van Aert deserves a special mention for Roubaix. Beating Tadej in the velodrome was one of the moments of the season.cyclechamp4505-11-2026
