Nicolas Roche, recently forced to forfeit the upcoming Vuelta a España due to illness, yesterday told the Irish Times that the sickness was more serious than he originally thought.

He came down with pneumonia the day after finishing 29th in the Olympic road race, and this week underwent tests to determine if he may have caught Legionnaires’ disease.

The results of those tests will be known next week. Whatever the strain, he confirmed that he is gradually feeling better. However, he said that there is a chance that his racing season could be over, although he is hoping this will not be the case.