Euskaltel Euskadi team leader Samuel Sánchez, who won the 2011 KOM at the Tour de France, will skip this year's 100th edition of the race.

Hotly tipped as one of the outsiders who might upset the GC, Sánchez did not live up to expectations at last month’s Giro d'Italia, finishing 12th overall with no stage win. Due to Sánchez’ debatable form, his team announced yesterday that he will forfeit the Tour this year.

According to Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano, Euskaltel Euskadi general manager, it would be "impossible to see the best" of Sánchez should he race the Tour de France and consequently the 35-year-old will focus on the latter parts of the season. Traditionally, Sánchez has delivered solid and consistent performances in the Grand Tour of his native country and has five stage wins to his credit, whereas he made his Tour as late as 2010.

"We've been talking and he admitted that it he finished the corsa rosa very exhausted, both due to the maximum stress of preparation and the race itself, which was very hard," said Gonzalez de Galdeano in a statement on the official team website. Sánchez will complete the Critérium du Dauphiné this Sunday, and then he will rest before returning to active racing at a date yet undisclosed.

"Samuel is a great leader," said Gonzalez de Galdeano. "A man who works on the edge and always looks for the best form to meet the objectives. He has my confidence and that of the team and it is up to him when he will return and we will remain committed to the success that has always given us."