With Chris Froome forced to withdraw from the race with illness, we will have to wait a little longer to see the four Grand Tour giants go wheel-to-wheel.

Froome has been suffering from a chest infection and the 2013 Tour de France champion has decided to pull out of Tirreno-Adriatico as a precaution, with his sights set firmly on bigger goals to come.

“This is obviously frustrating after the good start that I’ve had to the season, but it’s a minor setback,” said Froome, who won the Ruta del Sol in February. “I’ve been ill for a few days now and unfortunately I couldn’t shake it off in time for the race.

“After speaking with the doctors we decided as a precaution that it would be best to take a few days off the bike to recover fully.”

Injury cost Froome his place at Tirreno-Adriatico 12 months ago but he recaptured his form for the Criterium du Dauphine in June – only for crashes and injuries to strike again at the Tour de France.

Kanstantsin Siutsou has been drafted in as Froome’s replacement in Italy, but Mikel Nieve and new signing Leopold Konig are the obvious choices to step up as team leader and have a chance to prove they can guide Sky to success.