Even though without any doubt 2014 edition of the Vuelta a Espana is going to have the most exciting line-up among this year’s Grand Tours, but some of the race favorites suffered bad luck even before the highly anticipated event kicked off in earnest.

After Chris Froome (Team Sky) took a tumble during the opening team time trial reconnaissance in Jerez de la Frontera on Thursday, Thibaut Pinot informed via his Twitter account that was suddenly struck by illness and fiver forced him to stay in bed for an entire day.

“First day at the Vuelta, all spent in bed! It starts badly … #Fever,” Pinot posted on Twitter.

The third rider of this year’s Tour de France didn’t plan to contest the Vuelta general classification, preferring to focus on stage victories, but an infection might significantly decrease his chances to excel in the mountainous event.