Simoni withdraws from Tour de France

Former Giro d’Italia winner Gilberto Simoni has pulled out of this year’s Tour de France because of fatigue.

The Italian had been tipped to head up the Lampre-Caffita team following team-mate Damiano Cunego’s withdrawal with a virus.

But Simoni said: “It’s clear that I have muscular fatigue.

“Going to France would have been useless, it would have been a disaster for me.”

The Tour, cycling’s blue-riband event, begins on Saturday.