Contador out of Criterium International with influenza

Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador attends the presentation of the itinerary of the 2013 Tour de France cycling race in Paris October 24, 2012.

PARIS (Reuters) - Spain's Alberto Contador has been ruled out of this weekend's Criterium International cycling race because of a bout of influenza.

Contador's press office said in a statement that the double Tour de France champion had caught a cold during races in Italy earlier this month.

His next race will be the Tour of the Basque country from April 1-6.

Tour de France runner-up Chris Froome of Britain and Australian Cadel Evans, the 2011 Tour champion, will be the favorites in Corsica on Saturday and Sunday.

(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Clare Fallon)