Thomas Löfkvist and his IAM cycling team were forced to cancel his participation in the ongoing Tour de Suisse as well as this year’s Tour de France, which starts next month, as the Swede needs rest due to overtraining. His new target is the Vuelta a Espana.

"Up until last night, I was ready to go to Switzerland and compete to the best of my ability," he told Eurosport. "But I began to think that my expectations weren't realistic. I've been aware this might happen, and above all, it's nice to have my team's support behind me. My manager told me to take it easy and go home and rest."

The 30 year old will now undertake a few weeks of light training in order to recover his energy to build his form for the Vuelta in late August.

Should the Vuelta turn out to be a disastrous one, the previous winner of the Tirreno-Adriatico young riders jersey and the 2009 Strade Bianchi may not sign a new deal and retire from the sport.

"If I come back to the Vuelta and do well, then I may get a contract," he said to Eurosport. "I'm worried that if I do not do well in the Vuelta, it will not be fun and then I won't get a contract. But then I'm thinking I might not want a contract in that case either - it might be time to take the next step in life."