Francesco Gavazzi had been scheduled to make the trip to Australia with the team however the winner of the queen stage at the 2012 Tour of Beijing suffered a knee injury in training.
"I have an inflammation of the cartilage around the left kneecap from simple overtraining. I have been suffering for 10 days, but hope to get it fixed soon," Gavazzi said.
His replacement will be sprinter, Jacopo Guarnieri, who should prove to be handy support for new recruit Andrea Guardini who will be making his debut for the team at the event.
Meantime, Gavazzi will undergo treatment from physiotherapists in an attempt to recover from his knee injury and hopes to resume racing in February.
"For now I can only train at maximum for a few hours on the bike. With regards to our training camp in Alicante, it all depends on my knee, but I think I should be ready for the Ruta del Sol for certain," Gavazzi said.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
