Rabobank's Marc de Maar, who finished near the bottom of the list in the Dauphiné Libéré's prologue, had to drop out of the first stage. The Dutch rider had been suffering from stomach and intestinal problems, and was actually feeling better Monday, but the effects of the sickness were too much for him.
"He could not keep his food down on Sunday. Things were better on Monday morning, but without sufficient 'fuel,' you cannot finish such a long stage," noted team manager Erik Breukink via the team's website, rabobank.nl.
