29 year old Carlos Barredo will not take part in Sunday's final Monument of the spring season, Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
The Spaniard was supposed to be a crucial part of his Rabobank team's plans for the weekend, but a nasty crash on Wednesday at La Fleche Wallonne left the 2009 Clasica San Sebastian winner in a bad way.
Eight stitches in his elbow along with numerous surface wounds left the Spaniard miserable the night following the race, but altogether, intact with no broken bones. There was still hope he might be able to take part in Sunday's race, but yesterday, the winner of a stage in last year's Vuelta tweeted the disappointing news.
"Out of Liege…I have too much pain in my elbow and shoulder. I'm sad, but it's impossible to ride. Good luck to the Rabobank team!"
Rabobank will still obviously be well represented by the likes of Robert Gesink and Paul Martens, but the supreme dominance of Philippe Gilbert has made it clearer than ever that a deep, strong team will likely be the necessary recipe for success Sunday afternoon in the hills of the Ardennes.