Fabio Aru withdraws from Tour de France

Fabio Aru: “I really don’t know what is happening to me, I have no answers and this makes me suffer. I approached this Tour de France on my toes, and I had worked well. Not to go for GC, but to help Tadej in the best possible way and maybe, who knows, get some chances of my own if the opportunity arose. I had put in a series of encouraging performances in the run-up to this Tour de France, except the bad day I had in Lombardy. My training data also showed optimism in returning to a condition that allowed me to perform well, certainly the best numbers in the last 3 years.

Also yesterday, talking to the team doctor, I told him that I was feeling better , and that I was confident for the rest of the race.

Now I am here, stuck in a hole, without really understanding why.

I feel like I do not deserve this because I have always been an exemplary professional and given my maximum commitment. The team does not deserve this either and I suffer a lot in not being able to make my contribution as I would like to. My future? Well I’m not thinking about it right now. I’m still processing the disappointment of today.”