Spain's Iban Mayo pulled out of the Tour de France before the start of the 15th stage on Tuesday. Mayo had been expected to challenge Lance Armstrong but was 45 minutes behind the defending champion.
"We knew he wouldn't finish the stage today, so we decided it was better for him not to start," said Euskaltel general manager Miguel Madariaga.
He added that Mayo, who was in 49th place, had "no strength left" and could be suffering from a virus.
MMIX
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