Andreas Schillinger has suffered from an infection in the early days of the Tour de France, which unfortunately forces him to abandon the race at the start of stage 4. The rider who was sixteenth of this year's edition of Paris-Roubaix must give up before the tour’s cobblestone stage. The 31-year-old finishes a Grand Tour early for the first time in his career.

"We have just decided that Andreas wont start. It is extremely unfortunate for him that he has to leave the tour, but we stick to our philosophy: the health of the rider is always of highest priority. Andreas had a tough night and it’s not possible to tackle this hard stage so weakened", says Enrico Poitschke, Sports Director of BORA – ARGON 18. 

"For the team, this has tactical implications. Today was the day on which Andreas was scheduled as the main supporter for Dominik [Nerz]. So this is a very big loss for us. We’ll compensate as best as possible with great teamwork", continues Poitschke.