Pello Bilbao entered his eighth Itzulia Basque Country on Monday as the clear leader for Bahrain-Victorious and with a building record at the race that had earned him a clear spot on the contenders list. However, after just one day of racing, he has had to pull the pin due to illness.
The Basque rider has ridden and finished every edition of the race since 2015, winning a stage at last year’s race and finishing fifth on the overall. The 33-year-old also has had a strong start to the season, coming third overall at the Tour Down Under as well as fourth at Volta a La Comunitat Valenciana and the UAE Tour.
