Filippo Pozzato has been forced to withdraw from today’s Vattenfall Cyclassics and his place will instead be taken by former Amstel Gold victor and Tour de France stage winner Sergey Ivanov.
The Italian’s non-start at the race is due to after effects of injuries sustained in recent days when he fell down the stairs at home, hit his head and required eight stitches.
He returned to competition on Tuesday and placed 83rd in the Tre Valli Varesine. However he has a strong pain in his back and, having spoken to the team’s medical staff, the decision has been taken for him to sit out the race.
2011 has been a tough season for the rider, who had a disappointing Classics season and then suffered two fractures in a crash at the Tour of Belgium. He was passed over for selection for each of cycling’s Grand Tours, due in part to tensions with team management, who consider that he is underachieving.
He was expected to leave the team at the end of the season but then surprised many this week when he said that there was a chance he could stay put.
“I have not signed with anyone. There are also other possibilities,” he told Tuttobici on Wednesday. “There will be changes here at Katusha, which would also like to keep me here. So it’s not that I must necessarily change teams.”
It is not yet known what his next race will be.