Valverde Quits Warm-Up Race For Tour de France

Spain's Alejandro Valverde, one of the Tour de France favourites, abandoned the Dauphine Libere stage race on Friday because of illness.

Spain's Alejandro Valverde, one of the Tour de France favourites, abandoned the Dauphine Libere stage race on Friday because of illness.

Valverde and his team mate Francisco Perez of Spain, both hit by a stomach virus, quit after 40 km of racing on stage five, from Nyons to Dignes-les-Bains.

On Thursday, Valverde had finished second last on the Mont Ventoux summit, nearly half an hour behind stage winner Christophe Moreau of France.

"It was the hardest stage of my life," Valverde told journalists on Thursday. "I finished out of pure stubbornness."

Second in the 2006 Tour of Spain, Valverde is considered one of the big hopes for the Tour de France, which starts on July 7 in London.

The Dauphine Libere finishes on Sunday in Annecy.