Edvald Boasson Hagen's Tour de France in doubt after shingles diagnosis

Edvald Boasson Hagen, named yesterday in Team Sky's line-up for the Tour de France which starts a week tomorrow, is said to be doubtful for the race after contracting shingles. According to local news reports in Norway, the 24-year-old was already showing signs of a rash when he successfully defended his national time trial title yesterday, the fifth time in a row he has won it, and he has pulled out of this weekend's national road race championship as a precaution.

The news was broken this afternoon in a press release from his manager Birger Hungerholdt after Boasson Hagen visited a doctor and was diagnosed with the condition, reports Aftenposten.

Shingles is an infectious condition related to chickenpox and symptons include rashes, blistering of the skin, swollen lymph glands and resultant pain and discomfort.

Boasson Hagen joined Team Sky last year from HTC-Columbia with his debut season for the British outfit disrupted by an Achiles injury, although he returned from that in time to race in the Tour de France.

A spokesman from Team Sky told road.cc: "As a precautionary measure, Edvald has withdrawn from the national road race this weekend due to illness. We are monitoring the situation with him, at this stage though there is no change to the Tour de France team."