After FDJ.fr decided to pull Nacer Bouhanni from racing for the rest of the season due to comments he made to L'Equipe about being furious at being left out of the Tour de France team, French coach Bernard Bourreau has expressed his frustration at the team’s decision.

Bouhanni had agreed to ride the Vuelta a Espana as his final race for FDJ before moving to Cofidis but after pulling out of the Spanish race, he was due to die the Tour du Doubs and GP d’Isbergues as preparation for the World Championships, where he was to play a key role for France.

“It’s annoying, I could have done without it, but we’ll have to get by,” Bourreau told RMC Sport.

Bourreau revealed that Madiot had called him immediately after censuring Bouhanni for his interview. “He called me straight after his discussion with Bouhanni. He was quite furious,” Bourreau said.

“I let some time go by and I called him back with a clear head, but that didn’t change things. He has his arguments, and I don’t want to comment on the reasoning of others. Nacer is an important part of the French team and I have to manage.”

Bouhanni won two Vuelta stages and had looked good on two uphill finishes that didn’t suit him, showing he had great form for the Worlds and a shot at the Rainbow Jersey.