Basso withdraws from the TdF with testicular cancer

The big news out of today's Tinkoff press conference was of the scary kind. Ivan Basso had been complaining of pain after a crash on stage 5 and upon examination by the team doctor they found something amiss. After an doctor's appointment at hospital in Pau earlier this morning he was diagnosed with a small tumor in his left testicle. Naturally he will be heading straight home for further examination and treatment with Tinkoff continuing into the race with only 8 riders. Basso's captain and roommate Alberto Contador attended the press conference with the Italian and they were both shocked and distraught at the news they had received only two hours before.

In the best case scenario Basso might have had a bit of luck in crashing if it meant the tumor was actually discovered sooner than it otherwise might have been, giving him a better prognosis. We wish Ivan Basso all the best and hope to see him back healthy very soon.