It won't be a fourth Italian national championship title for Giovanni Visconti. The Movistar rider crashed hard in the fifth stage of the Tour de Suisse and his injuries make him unable to line up in the road race on Saturday.

No one knows how to win the Italian championships like Giovanni Visconti but the rider who won the title in 2007, 2010 and 2011, won't have the possibility to add to his tally when this year's road race is held on Saturday. Visconti crashed in the 5th stage of the Tour de Suisse and suffered several bruises and abrasions while a wound in his left thigh had to be stitched.

“The abrasions are still driving me mad," Visconti told Tuttobici. "I’m on antibiotics, I have pains in both my legs and arms, and, frankly, it’s unthinkable that I could ride as a protagonist in a race as important as the Italian championships."

His decision to forfeit the race removes one of the race favourites from the event. Having endured a tough first season at Movistar and a troubled start to this season, Visconti found back to his best in the recent Giro d'Italia where he won two stages. His performances in the Tour de Suisse suggested that he had maintained his good condition as he was 4th overall at the time of his crash.

It's a bitter pill to swallow for Visconti due to the fact that this year's road race will double as the Trofeo Melinda, a race he won in 2009. Hence, he has proved that he has what it takes on the hilly course.

“I’m tremendously sorry but I couldn’t risk compromising the entire second part of the season,” he said. “I have a deep wound on my left leg and a nasty abrasion on my right, while my left hand has a cut which doesn’t allow me to hold the handlebars properly.”

On a more positive note, Visconti is close to re-signing with Movistar. Prior to the Giro, he was rumoured to be heading back home to the Vini Fantini team where he enjoyed a successful time from 2009 to 2011, in an attempt to put his career back on track. His recent success has now made such a move unnecessary and he is now likely to stay.

“I’ve received a good pair of offers but I’m close to renewing,” he said. “I just have to be patient for a moment. [Movistar manager Eusebio] Unzue is putting the final things in place with the various sponsors, and once it’s finalised, we’ll put black on white.”

Visconti's main objective in the second part of the season is to earn a selection for the world championships team where he would line up in support of Vincenzo Nibali.