Having initially expressed optimism that he had recovered from an earlier illness, Thibaut Pinot finally succumbed to fatigue and abandoned the Vuelta a Espana yesterday. The Frenchman will now try to make a full recovery and bounce back with a strong showing in Il Lombardia in a few weeks.

Thibaut Pinot went into the Vuelta a Espana hoping to win a stage and the mountains jersey after he had finished an excellent third in the Tour de France. However, he got it all off to a very bad start as he fell ill a few days before the start and suffered thorugh the first week.

Last weekend both he and his FDJ team sent optimistic signals, claiming that the Frenchman was ready to attack in the final two weeks, but yesterday it all became too much. Pinot abandoned the race, citing fatigue.

"At the beginning of the stage, I tried to catch the breakaway, but I realised that I was about to stop," he told L'Equipe. "After 50 miles, there was a crosswind, I had no more strength. It was the same feelings at the beginning of this Vuelta.

"I thought maybe after the rest day and the time trial, I would be better. But I had not recovered from the virus that caused me fever for three days, [the race is] not worth pursuing."

"Thibaut is tired , sports director Franck Pineau said. "He failed to regain his good legs and he has not recovered from the Tour. That's obvious. From the perspective of the end of the season where he wants to do will in the Tour of Lombardy, he made ​​a wise decision."

With Pinot out of the race, his teammate Johan Le Bon animated the action by joining the early break. On the final climb, Cedric Pineau proved his good condition by finishing in the top 50.

Franck Pineau hopes that Cedric Pineau will be able to make use of his form in breakaways later in the race.

"But it will not be tomorrow because Thursday in Logrono it will be a bunch sprint with the prospect of a new stage victory for Nacer Bouhanni and FDJ.fr," Pineau said. "We will gather out troops around him."