No Tour for Valjavec and Elmiger

AG2R La Mondiale's Tadej Valjavec and martin Elmiger will not participate in the Tour de France this year, even though both riders have the potential to win stages for their team at the Grande Boucle. They will stay at home, albeit for different reasons.

"Valjavec [who finished tenth overall at the 2008 Tour - ed.] has had a baby one week before the Giro, where he achieved the objective to place within the top ten [he was ninth - ed.]," explained the team's manager Vincent Lavenu to L'Equipe. "He will do the Vuelta.