A sudden appearance at the Tirreno-Adriatico definitely didn't turn out to be the best deal for Lieuwe Westra. The 32-year old Dutchman not only wasn't able to support his squad in a way he was expected due to TTT cancellation, but fell ill during the event's queen stage and thus will be forced to skip Volta a Catalunya.

The Dutch rider was asked by his squad to skip his favourite Paris-Nice in order to support Astana with his undeniable skills in the opening TTT of the Italian stage race. Unfortunately, the race organizers were forced to change their initial plans and replace that competition with a short prologue due to adverse weather conditions. What's more, Westra was forced to abandon the race during its fifth stage to Terminillo and won't participate in the upcoming Volta a Catalunya due to illness.

“In consultation with @AstanaTeam I don't start in Catalonia!! Am still not 100 percent to race Basque country! To get back to 200 percent to start,” he wrote on Twitter.