(AFP) – Spain's world champion Alejandro Valverde has pulled out of Saturday's Strade Bianche race and this month's Milan-Sanremo one-day classic due to illness, his Movistar team announced on Wednesday.

The 38-year-old reported feeling sick after finishing second in last week's UAE Tour.

"His return to competition is set for March 25 in the Tour of Catalonia," two days after Milan-SanRemo, Movistar said,

The Milan-San Remo is the longest one-day race in the calendar covering 291km.

Saturday's Strade Bianche in Tuscany joined the UCI's World Tour in 2017.

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