Cervélo's Daniel Lloyd was overlooked for a ride in the centenary Giro d'Italia, a race he had hoped to ride and had been shortlisted for.
Lloyd had been suffering from a virus and has only just begun to show signs of recovering. He had a fine Classics season, with 45th in the Tour of Flanders and 28th in Ghent-Wevelgem, but did not start Amstel Gold or Flèche Wallonne.
"I've only just started to get back on the bike," Lloyd told Cycling Weekly. "I'm feeling better but I'm not completely over it yet.
"I'm quite disappointed because it was on my schedule since the early part of the season, but I've got time to get back into it at my own speed.
"I've the got the chance to do another three-week tour this year, hopefully the Vuelta. I'm off to the GP Frankfurt on Friday but I'm not expecting to be able to do anything there. From there, it's off to the Tour of Picardie in May".
While it was disappointment for Lloyd, it was good news for Jeremy Hunt who made the cut.
"We are going for a top result in the GC with the [team] leader and Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre," said Jean-Paul van Poppel, Cervélo directeur sportif.
"He will get support from the entire team to reach a top three place in the GC. Another target is a stage win during the 100th anniversary edition of the Giro.
"With Simon Gerrans, who won a stage last year in the Tour de France and who has shown great performances this spring, the team has a good candidate to win a stage, though we also have Philip Deignan and Hayden Roulston as potential stage winners."
The Norwegian Sprinter Thor Hushovd was also in the pre-selection for the Giro team but decided last week to focus instead on the Tour de France. "I had a hard classic season and need a good break. After that, I will start building up my shape slowly for my next big goal, the Tour de France. For the Giro, I would have had to be ready right from the beginning of the race, but I haven?t had enough time to prepare."
Cervélo team for the Giro d'Italia: Philip Deignan (IRL); Simon Gerrans (AUS); Volodymir Gustov (UKR); Jeremy Hunt (GBR); Ted King (USA); Ignatas Konovalovas (LTU); Serge Pauwels (BEL); Hayden Roulston (NZL); Carlos Sastre (ESP); reserve: Daniel Lloyd (GBR)
RELATED LINK
2009 Giro d'Italia preview
Follow Cycling Weekly on Twitter>>>
London e-bike sharing scheme investigated over 'free' claims
Knog Blinder 1300 review - excellent visibility for you and other road users
