Feverish Valverde misses Paris-Nice

Madrid - Veteran Spaniard Alejandro Valverde came down with a last-minute virus and has pulled out of the Paris-Nice cycle race which gets underway on Sunday.

The eight-stage 'Race to the Sun' is a key early season test and has recently been won by Tour de France champions Alberto Contador and Bradley Wiggins.

The evergreen Valverde, 36, won both the Tour of Murcia and the Tour of Andalusia last month and remains a podium contender on the Grand Tours.

While still a team leader, he is set to chaperone Colombian climbing king Nairo Quintana on the Tour de France this season.

Victor de la Parte takes Valverde's place in the eight-rider Movistar line-up, which won the Paris-Nice team classification last year.