Lieuwe Westra was forced to pull out of the Tour de Romandie before yesterday’s queen stage kicked off, due to consequences of a crash he suffered at the Fleche Wallonne last month.

Westra hit the deck and injured his knee at the Fleche Wallonne, and even though the 31-year old Dutchman expected everything to go smoothly at the Tour de Romandie, his stitched wound became inflamed and eventually forced him out of competition as the antibiotic treatment was necessary.

“The stitches have become infected, forcing me to take antibiotics prescribed to heal knee inflammation,” Westra informed via his website.

“Obviously, it’s impossible to ride the race like that in such condition.”

“It is unfortunate that the crash [I had] at Fleche Wallonne affected [the race] this way, because I intended to do my very best to help the team. Now I have to go softly and take some rest. The important targets, Dauphine and the Tour de France, are yet to come.”