Bilbao annoyed at exclusion from Spanish Olympic cycling team

MADRID -- Spanish cyclist Pello Bilbao has reacted angrily to being left out of his country's squad to compete in the Tokyo Olympics.

The 31-year-old, who rides for the Bahrain Victorious team, is currently 10th in the Tour de France and is having an excellent season, finishing 13th in the Giro de Italia and second in the Tour of the Alps, despite mainly riding as a support rider for his team.

He was expected to form part of a powerful Spanish squad to compete in Tokyo and wasted no time in revealing his annoyance at being left out.

"I found out that I had been left out half an hour before starting the stage (on Sunday)," he said on Spanish radio from the Tour de France, which passed into Andorra on Sunday.

"The selector (Pascual Momparler) told me late and he told me badly. I tried to speak to him last week. Now I hope he realizes his mistake and changes his opinion," continued Bilbao.

Momparler responded diplomatically to Bilbao's complaints saying "if Pello hadn't got angry, I wouldn't value him so much. There is still a week of the Tour to ride and I consider him to be our first reserve."

Momparler commented that 41-year-old Alejandro Valverde would captain the Spanish cycling team in Tokyo, although he and his likely teammates, Ion Izagirre, Enric Mas, Jonathan Castroviejo and Alex Aranburu are also currently involved in the Tour de France, which will finish in Paris next Sunday.