Fabian Cancellara has withdrawn from the Tour de France ahead of stage 11 to be with his pregnant wife ahead of the birth of their second child.

Cancellara won the Tour’s opening prologue in Liege and held the yellow jersey until stage seven, when Bradley Wiggins assumed the overall lead.

“The decision to go back home is harder than you might expect,” said Cancellara.

“Up to now the team has had a very good Tour de France. We won a stage, had the yellow jersey for more than a week, we lead the teams classification and we have four riders in the top 20 of the GC [and] the atmosphere within this group is amazing. All of this makes it hard to abandon here.”

Cancellara will return to action at the Olympic Games in London, when he will bid to defend the time trial title won in Beijing. Spartacus finished third behind Team Sky duo Wiggins and Chris Froome, both of whom will ride for Great Britain at the Games, in the Tour’s stage nine time trial.

“I am not only a bike rider,” added the Swiss national time trial champion. “I am also a husband and father with another baby on the way. It is my personal wish to be present when my wife Stefanie gives birth to our second child. That “trophy” is more important than another Tour stage win or an Olympic medal.”

“I already need to thank my wife for her patience with me during the last month in her pregnancy that has been difficult at times. The least I can do is to assist her in these difficult days.”